THE SONG OF THE WHALES
“…The humpback song is an amazing thing to experience first-hand, and I suspect that even once the science of it is put to bed, it will remain, as long as they sing, magic.”
- From ‘Fluke, or, I know Why the Winged Whale Sings’ by Christopher Moore
Whales are perhaps the most widely known mammals of the sea. Countless videos and documentaries later, whales are finally getting their recognition in the educational market. Cetaceans are a taxon (or sub-group) of mammals that include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. They breathe air, give birth to live young, have hair on their bodies (at some point), and suckle their young — all while living in water. Of all of the above, the most complex lives lived are those of whales — their giant bodies that cut through water like knives and their gentle flukes that give their bodies the charisma they are well-known for. Swimming thousands of miles every year, these gentle giants move in pods — that nurture the young ones, catch prey and sing a song like no other.
It has not been an easy road to their frequent sightings and stories. The situation was undeniably bleak a hundred years back when whales were killed in thousands for production of oil from their blubber (an insulating layer of fat that acts as skin). In 1986, the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling, creating an upscale in the birth rate of whales and a relatively safer environment.
When James Nestor (a famous free diver with extensive work on whales) spoke about clicking (type of communication performed by sperm whales), he said that with each click, his heart thumped louder and he could feel the vibrations in his chest. Nestor, a 6-foot-tall man in the water, next to a 52-foot-tall sperm whale, is listening to 260 decibels, which is loud enough to pop our eardrums and vibrate us to death. While something like this might sound scary to some, to some it can be the experience of a lifetime. Whales use echolocation to locate food, find each other, court (before mating) and communicate. The three types of sounds made by whales are clicks, whistles and pulsed calls. Each song (a set of high frequency calls) has a meaning. They are symphonious and intricate, a mixture of moans, grunts, blasts and shrieks. Each song is unique to a whale and surprisingly familiar to the pod. In fact, recent studies have also found them to travel from the southern hemisphere all the way to the Arctic circle and have their own songs that are native to the pod. This helps in having connection and recognition when there are a thousand whales. A mother and calf will have a different set of communication key that will make them know each other’s pulse calls and unlike us, whales can feel the pulses through the reverberation in their body. So, technically, a mother whale will be able to feel her calf’s first cries and shrieks and nurture those short bursts into a language of their own. It is nothing less than a miracle.
The song of the whale has been recorded and incorporated into modern songs, quite often in those that serve as calm whistles before bedtime. There have been movies and poems dedicated to the songs that sailors hear above the water. A harmonious mating call is listened to as a fisherman picks up his net in the wee hours of the morning and goes home to tell his wife and children of the tender nature and its way. The beauty that lies in the inability to comprehend an amalgamation of intricacies woven together is magnificent. As advanced as the human brain and its creations are, there are some (almost) other worldly experiences that cannot compare to the boundaries set by it.
Unfortunately, anthropogenic activity has had adverse effects on the water bodies that ultimately results in the killing of whales. The numbers of whales that are killed because of lack of availability of food (due to overfishing), sudden melting of ice, drowning (as garbage patches do not allow them to breach and breathe in air), tangling in fishing nets, excessive tourism activity (whale watching) etc. are increasing by the day.
However, there are people working tirelessly to make this better. The change can start on an individual level by being an active member, recognising threats, spreading awareness and making smarter choices. Experts say, one efficient way to start off is to know whether the ferry services in one’s area run on proper rules given by IWC which includes going at a minimal speed during migration months of the whales.
‘Save the Whales’, a non-profit organization started in California, 1977 is one of the leading initiatives that help save marine mammals from death and injury, free entangles whales, keep a watch over distress calf calls, monitor water diseases caused by runoff, etc. Their aim is to encourage children to know more about whales and the threat that we cause them. A simple subscription would entail mails and materials on current topics.
Other smaller Conservation NGOs would require our undying support in the form of buying gift for friends and family of which the amount goes into buying better equipment, etc. Donations, adopting whales, etc. are other such ways that one can help in the making of a better and peaceful ocean.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and that will always ring true. The whale has been in the ocean for thousands of years and will continue to inhabit the oceans as long as we offer a respectful hand to it. Together, we can make a difference unlike any other and it all starts with you.
