Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 day ago
Whale songs may help track pygmy blue whale feeding
Researchers linked feeding and singing in pygmy blue whales off Western Australia.
Tagged whales generally fed during daylight, while underwater recorders detected more song at night.
Whales had less time available to sing while feeding, which was most often seen during the day.
The study combined dive records from 12 whales with underwater recordings to examine behaviour across several regions.
Listening for day-and-night song patterns could help track feeding over large areas without observing whales directly.
The population is endangered and travels past shipping lanes and energy projects, making knowledge of its feeding grounds important for conservation.
Researchers could use underwater recordings to help identify important habitats and inform efforts to manage noise near them.
A Curtin University-led study found that endangered pygmy blue whales generally feed during daylight, leaving more time for singing at night.
Researchers say comparing daytime and nighttime song could help identify feeding activity across large ocean areas without directly observing whales.
During the feeding season in Perth Canyon, more song was recorded at night than during the day for up to three months.
The study examined whale behaviour off Western Australia, from Perth Canyon north towards Ningaloo and the Northwest Shelf.
- Who
- Endangered pygmy blue whales off Western Australia, studied by a team led by Curtin University.
- What
- Researchers found that the whales generally feed during daylight and have more time to sing at night. Comparing song levels could help track feeding.
- When
- The study was published on 28 October 2026. The recordings showed more song at night during the feeding season for up to three months.
- Where
- Offshore waters of Western Australia, including Perth Canyon, the Midwest coast, Ningaloo and the Northwest Shelf.
- Why
- Listening for differences in song between day and night may help researchers monitor feeding activity and inform conservation.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Researchers pooled dive records from 12 tagged whales collected during this period.
The study was published in Royal Society Open Science.
EurekAlert! published a release about the findings.
Earth.com and Oceanographic Magazine published reports on the study.
- Tagged whales
- 12
- Dive data
- 130.1 days
- Feeding location
- Perth Canyon, off Western Australia
- Nighttime song
- More song was recorded at night during the feeding season for up to three months
- Study journal
- Royal Society Open Science
3 sources
What people are saying
Just as we can’t talk while we’re eating, pygmy blue whales appear to have less time available to sing while they’re feeding,
By listening to when they sing more at night than during the day, we can infer when whales in an area are likely to be feeding.