Sage whispers: Shallow waters help whale mums and calves evade predators

Australia News News

Sage whispers: Shallow waters help whale mums and calves evade predators
Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines
  • 📰 abcnews
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 47 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 22%
  • Publisher: 83%

Researchers believe whispering southern right whales whales are using Great Australian Bight waters to hide from killer whales.

New research shows southern right whales in the Great Australia Bight might be using the shallow waters to whisper to their calves so that predators, like killer whales, can't hear them.Researchers think mother and calf southern right whales use the acoustics of shallow water to communicate through whispers.

Acoustic crypsis, a way of adapting sound production behaviour akin to whispering, could be leading whales to choose certain breeding grounds to whisper to their calves. "What we found is that they are potentially using these shallow waters, near shore habitats in part because that way they can't be heard by other animals outside those habitats," Ms Zeh said."They can make sounds and communicate with each other but their sounds won't travel far enough to be heard by anyone else.""These mum-calf pairs spend time in these ridiculously shallow areas across the southern hemisphere," she said.

Other work has been done on the whispering between mothers and calves but this research explored the benefits of shallow habitats. "There have been incidents of harassment by the adult males, especially around the mating season if they're trying to mate with females.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

abcnews /  🏆 5. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Extraditing Julian Assange would be a gift to secretive, oppressive regimes | Peter OborneExtraditing Julian Assange would be a gift to secretive, oppressive regimes | Peter OborneHanding over the WikiLeaks founder to the US will benefit those around the world who want to evade scrutiny, says journalist and author Peter Oborne
Read more »

Japan claims China is trying to extract Japanese gas in East China SeaJapan claims China is trying to extract Japanese gas in East China SeaJapan lodges an official protest with China after discovering what it claimed were efforts by Beijing to develop gas fields in disputed waters in the East China Sea.
Read more »

Meet the plant detective helping gardeners and fighting crimeMeet the plant detective helping gardeners and fighting crimeCataloguing biodiversity is just one part of the job for the scientists at the National Herbarium of NSW, whose forensic skills are putting Australia’s plants under the microscope
Read more »

‘I’ve had some dark times’: Fresh reminder of swimming stars’ mental struggles‘I’ve had some dark times’: Fresh reminder of swimming stars’ mental strugglesSports know the mental welfare of their athletes is paramount, but some jarring stories at Australian trials show the heavy toll taken on those in the water.
Read more »

Syria’s barrel bomb experts in Russia to help with potential Ukraine campaignSyria’s barrel bomb experts in Russia to help with potential Ukraine campaignOver 50 specialists skilled in delivering crude explosive working with Vladimir Putin’s forces, intelligence sources believe
Read more »

Ziggy the bag man's mission to access his money and help other vulnerable peopleZiggy the bag man's mission to access his money and help other vulnerable peopleZiggy has lived in parks around Brisbane's western suburbs for years and usually likes to keep to himself. But recently his friends reached out to help him with a big problem.
Read more »



Render Time: 2025-02-07 08:12:25