Scientists have worked out how some of the largest whales in the ocean produce their haunting and complex songs. Whale song is restricted to a narrow frequency that overlaps with the noise produced by ships. "Sound is absolutely crucial for their survival, because it's the only way they can find each other to mate in the ocean," explained Prof Coen Elemans, of the University of Southern Denmark, who led the study. "of the most enigmatic animals that ever lived on the planet," he told BBC News.
"They are amongst the biggest animals, they're smart and they're highly social." Baleen whales are a group of 14 species, including the blue, humpback, right, minke and gray whale. Instead of teeth, the animals have plates of what is called baleen, through which they sieve huge mouthfuls of tiny creatures from the water. Exactly how they produce complex, often haunting songs has been a mystery until now. Prof Elemans said it was "super-exciting" to have figured it ou