Why whale song is like pop music | The Royal Society

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Does whale song spread like pop music? 🐋🎸 Why do humpback whales sing and how far do their songs travel around the world? Subscribe to our channel for exciting science videos and live events, many hosted by Brian Cox, our Professor for Public Engagement: https://bit.ly/3fQIFXB

#humpbackwhale #whale #music #whalesong #biology #zoology #animals

Join Dr Ellen Garland from the University of St Andrews on her quest to chart the journey of humpback whale songs across the Pacific Ocean. Male humpback whales sing a repetitive, learnt, and culturally transmitted song display. Most males within a population sing the same, slow-evolving song; but in the South Pacific, songs from neighbouring populations have come in and taken over, almost like pop music. Humpback whales seem to like the novelty of a new sound but Dr Garland wants to discover whether it's really a 'sexy song' that attracts the attention of a female, or a 'sexy singer.'

Dr Ellen Garland is a Royal Society University Research Fellow.

If you'd like to learn more you can read Ellen's paper in Royal Society Open Science here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220158

Ellen previously starred in Apple TV's Fathom: You can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Mmnk0LZLU

Watch next: Secrets of the deep ocean: https://youtu.be/4QU2SkqhTa0

Sir David Attenborough on biodiversity: https://youtu.be/GlWNuzrqe7U

Gigantism and the age of extinction: https://youtu.be/rjdHd-IafC0

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