1. Importance and Uses of Whale Vocalization
Why use vocals and not the other senses?

2.  Physical Needs
 Social Needs
 Identity Needs
 Practical Goals
 All in all to express ourselves
The Need for Communication

3.  Sight + Smell not effective underwater
 Sound is the key
 Large number of whale species use “sounds” to communicate
 Adapted over time
 Produce large array of clicks, whistles, yells
 Produce from larynx and phonic lips
 Put together = Whale “songs”
Primary Whale Communication

4.  Sight irrelevant underwater
 Vocalization important
 Other ways to attract mates:
 Use of tail/flippers
 Chasing
 Male-male competition
 Sing “songs”
 Humpback whale song is the most famous Oleson et al; 2007
 Primary use -> during mating season
 Sung by males
 Blue whale songs increase during mating season
Sexual Selection

5.  Echolocation
 Prey -> foraging
 Predators
 Each other
 Sung during migration
 Keep groups of whales together
 Blue, Fin, Toothed, Humpback whales
 Ward off predators
Other Uses

6.  Regional acoustic differences
 Blue, orca, sperm, humpback
 Interspecies Variation
 9 different calls
 4 in Pacific, 3 in Indian, 1 in Southern and 1 in Atlantic ocean
 Population boundaries
 Assess:
 Population structure
 Migration routes
 Habitats
 Behaviours
 Evolutionary processes
Vocalization differences

7.  Human interference
 Initially stop calling
 Increase physical activity
 Nudging, rubbing, chasing
 Adaptations
 Increase frequency + amplitude
 Increase call duration
 Increase number of calls
 Shifting times
Clark; 2010
Foote et al; 2004
Anthropogenic interference

8.  Vocalization useful underwater
 Sexual selection
 Various other purposes
 Echolocation
 Migration
 Regional acoustic differences
 Population boundaries
 EVOLUTION OF VOCALIZATION IS USEINFUL IN
WHALES
Conclusion

9. THANK YOU :D