Bomb Detectors Picking Up More Blue Whale Songs in Indian Ocean
Published:20 Jul.2022 Source:University of New South Wales
If it weren't for underwater listening devices set up to monitor nuclear bomb tests, the population of 'Chagos' pygmy blue whales discovered only last year in the Indian Ocean would still be unknown to us. And now researchers from UNSW Sydney have analysed almost two decades of recordings to conclude that the distinctive songs of these pygmy blue whales have increased in frequency over this time.
Since actual sighting of the pygmy blue whales is still extremely rare -- despite their 24m length -- the researchers cautiously suggest that the findings show stocks of the sub-species could be on the rebound after being hunted to near-extinction in the 20th century.