Siren Song

In Greek mythology the Sirens were beautiful young women whose music and voices lured sailors to crash their ships upon the rocky beach of their island.  Walter Copland Perry observed, "Their song, while irresistibly sweet, was no less sad than sweet..."  Perhaps what the sailors heard weren't Sirens at all, but humpback whales.  Perry also might have been describing their mournful song.  While both the male and female vocalize, only the male 'sings'.  Click here for a short sample.

Source:  Wikipedia

Whales in large areas sing the same song, but whales in other areas sing different songs.  Over time, however, the songs change.  I'm not sure if anyone really knows how or why the new song begins.  One song can last for 10 to 20 minutes, and be repeated for hours.

Humpback whales are baleen whales and one of the biggest creatures in the sea (they can reach over 50 feet long and weigh over 75,000 pounds) feasts on one of the smallest creatures in the sea - krill, a shrimp-like crustacean.  They also eat schooling fish such as herring and mackerel, but only in arctic waters in the summer.  In the winter they head for the tropics to breed and live off their fat reserves.  They can travel up to 16,000 miles during their migration.

Source:  Wikipedia

Humpback whales have markings on their tail flukes that are as unique as fingerprints and can be used to identify individuals.  Originally, scientists thought humpback whales lived for 50 - 100 years, but a recent test on a different baleen whale is good evidence that they can live possibly twice that long.

Source:  Wikipedia

This post was inspired by a video link my friend Lynne sent me (thanks, Lynne!)  To see the video,  click here.  I talked about anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to animals) in my last post.  The scientist in the clip talks about the whale expressing joy.  Watch the clip and decide for yourself!