Song recorded near a super-group of humpback whales on a mid-latitude feeding ground off South Africa

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
• Main Authors: Gridley, T., Silva, M.F.P., Wilkinson, C., Seakamela, S.M., Elwen, S.H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Megaptera novaeangliae
• Online Access: https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/326430.pdf

Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) are well known for their complex song which is culturally transmitted and produced by males. However, the function of singing behavior remains poorly understood. Song was observed from 57 min of acoustic recording in the presence of feeding humpback whales aggregated in the near-shore waters on the west coast of South Africa. The structural organization of the song components, lack of overlap between song units, and consistency in relative received level suggest the song was produced by one "singer." The unusual timing and location of song production adds further evidence of plasticity in song production.