How do we know?
↻ One of the pages with a moving picture
Microphones on the seafloor listen for months.
- A humpback song is made of short sounds grouped into phrases, then themes. A bit like lines and verses in a poem!
- Scientists believe only males sing. In one breeding area, the males all sing nearly the same song.
- Songs change over time. A new song can pass from one group of whales to the next.
- Songs are heard most where whales mate, so many scientists think they help males court. But it’s still a mystery!
Scientists drop hydrophones, or underwater microphones, to the seafloor. They record every sound for months, until scientists collect them.
Songs change over time, and a new song can pass from one group of whales to the next. Songs that began with humpbacks off eastern Australia were picked up by whales in Tonga, and then kept spreading east to French Polynesia, usually within about 2 years.
In one breeding area, the males all sing nearly the same song.
Wow number
24 hours A humpback can sing for anything from five minutes to more than 24 hours, repeating the same song over and over.
Myth or fact?
Female humpbacks sing the longest songs. Myth. Scientists believe only males sing.
Humpbacks sometimes sing where they feed, too. Fact. Scientists once thought they only sang where they mate.
Think about it
Why do you think all the whales in one area sing the same song?
Where in the world?
Tonga, South Pacific where whales picked up songs that began with humpbacks off eastern Australia. The songs kept spreading east, all the way to French Polynesia, usually within about 2 years — 21.1789° S, 175.1982° W.
Where these facts come from
Every number on page 46, and who measured it
This page explains how whale songs are built, who sings, how long, and where.
Unraveling Mysteries of Humpback Whale Song at Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary — NOAA, the U.S. weather and ocean agency
sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/sep22/mysteries-of-humpback-whale-song.html
We checked it on 5 November 2026
This page tells us how whale songs spread from Australia to French Polynesia.
Humpback whales spread songs across the Pacific - News — The University of Queensland in Australia
news.uq.edu.au/2011-04-15-humpback-whales-spread-songs-across-pacific
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us how hydrophones on the seafloor record whale songs.
Eavesdropping on Whales: How Acoustic Surveys Are Revolutionizing Humpback Whale Monitoring in Hawai’i — NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries, which protect special ocean areas
sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/feb21/eavesdropping-on-whales.html
We checked it on 31 October 2026
Has this changed?
Yes, this one may change. Why humpbacks sing is still a mystery, and scientists keep listening.
What changes is the songs: they change over time, and new ones pass from group to group.
Words from this page
- theme
- A group of phrases in a whale song, a bit like a verse in a poem.
- court
- To try to win a mate.
- hydrophone
- An underwater microphone.
Try it!
Hear how sound travels through different things.
1. Put one ear flat on a table. 2. Ask someone to tap the far end gently with one finger. 3. Now lift your head and listen to the same tap through the air.
What happens: the tap sounds louder through the table. Sound travels in different ways through different things, like air, wood and water.
Go further