Research from the University of Washington shows that endangered blue whales are singing off the Lakshadweep archipelago. The study is the first to document blue whale songs in Indian waters.
“The presence of blue whales in Indian waters is well known from several strandings and some live sightings of blue whales,” said Divya Panicker, a UW doctoral student in oceanography. “But basic questions such as where blue whales are found, what songs do they sing, what do they eat, how long do they spend in Indian waters and in what seasons are still largely a mystery.”
Scuba divers placed underwater microphones at two ends of Kavaratti Island. When Panicker listened to the recordings retrieved from the recorders, she came across low blue-whale moans.
Since whales surface only occasionally, the best way to study them is through the way they communicate. The typical blue whale song is a series of one to six low moans, each up to 20 seconds long, below the threshold of human hearing.
Whales’ singing is a likely signal that the area is their breeding ground at certain times of the year. Analysis of recordings from late 2018 to early 2020 revealed that blue whales were present in Lakshadweep waters during April and May, just before the monsoon season.
Figuring out how long the whales spend in Indian waters can help conservationists develop better plans to conserve them in this climate-vulnerable region.
Picture Credit : Google
