User:Cuchullain/52 hertz whale
The 52 hertz whale is a mysterious, solitary whale of unknown species who sings at a frequency different from any other known cetacean. Scientists began recording the song, which at 52 hertz is much higher than other whales, in 1992, and determined it came from a single baleen whale. The animal has a migration pattern different than all other known whales, and as no others respond to its unusual call, it has been dubbed the "loneliest whale in the world". The whale has been significant in cetology, as its distinctive song allows researchers to identify and track it easily.
History
[edit]Distinctive 52-hertz whale sounds were first noticed in 1989 and recorded by the U.S. Navy SOSUS. In 1992, this data was partially declassified, allowing researchers to study the findings, and researchers soon began tracking it.
Sources
[edit]- http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/worlds-loneliest-whale-pays-visit-alaska
- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/science/21whal.html?_r=3
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6764-lonely-whales-song-remains-a-mystery.html
- http://earthsky.org/earth/52-hertz-song-of-worlds-loneliest-whale
- http://www.good.is/post/the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world/
- http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewImage.do?id=10079&aid=4721
- Watkins, William A.; Daher, Mary Ann; George, Joseph E.; Rodriguez, David (2004). "Twelve years of tracking 52-Hz whale calls from a unique source in the North Pacific". Deep-Sea Research I. 51: 1889–1901. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2004.08.006.