Listening to the songs of endangered pygmy blue whales could help researchers identify when the animals are feeding off Western Australia’s coast, improving scientists’ ability to monitor their behavior and inform conservation efforts.
Pygmy blue whale feeds on krill at Perth Canyon. Image Credit - Micheline Jenner, Centre for Whale Research (WA)
In a new Curtin University-led study published today in Royal Society Open Science, researchers found pygmy blue whales generally fed during daylight hours, leaving more time available for singing at night. During the pygmy blue whales’ feeding season in Perth Canyon, more song was recorded at night than during the day for up to three months.
The findings suggest that listening for differences in whale song between day and night could provide a way to monitor feeding activity across large areas of ocean without needing to observe the whales directly.
The research examined pygmy blue whale singing and feeding behavior in offshore waters from the Perth Canyon, along WA’s Midwest coast and further north towards Ningaloo and the Northwest Shelf.
Lead author, PhD candidate Andrew Davenport from Curtin’s Centre for Marine Science and Technology, says the relationship between feeding and singing offers a valuable new way to understand the behavior of this endangered population.
Just as we can’t talk while we’re eating, pygmy blue whales appear to have less time available to sing while they’re feeding. By listening to when they sing more at night than during the day, we can infer when whales in an area are likely to be feeding.”
Mr. Davenport, Lead author, PhD Candidate, Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University
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