Can a beluga whale speak?
They show the speech-like sounds were at fundamental frequencies several octaves lower than normal whale sounds, and much closer to those of the human voice. Also, whales talk to each other by blowing air through their noses rather than using a larynx, as people do.
Can beluga whales imitate human speech?
Birds aren’t the only animals that impersonate people—a beluga whale learned how to mimic the human voice, a new study suggests. The “talking whale” was NOC, a captive whale that lived for 30 years at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego, California, until his death in 1999.
Do beluga whales have vocal cords?
Despite having no vocal cords, Beluga whales make a series of chirps, squeals, clicks and trills, which is why they’re also known as the “canaries of the sea.” They use these sounds for communication, as well as for echolocation.
Why are beluga whales so vocal?
They migrate and hunt together, often in murky seas under the ice. Beluga whales communicate with each other in these tough conditions by singing. The beluga whale has a melon-shaped structure on the top of its head that enables it to produce and direct sounds.
How do belugas speak?
In 1984, researchers from the National Marine Mammal Foundation discovered his unusual ability to mimic the rhythm and tone of human speech. Belugas’ human-like voices had been described in the past, but NOC’s voice was the first to have been recorded.
How intelligent are beluga whales?
The short answer is that beluga whales are extremely intelligent, calm in difficult situations and easily trainable, said Pierre Béland, a research scientist in marine biology at the St. Lawrence National Institute of Ecotoxicology in Montreal, Canada.
How do belugas sound?
Originating in the air sacs of the head, these vocalizations sound like a variety of whistles, squeals, chirps and clicks. It is even possible to hear these sounds above water or through the hull of a boat. Belugas emit non-echolocation calls with an average frequency range from 2.0 to 5.9 kHz.
How do belugas communicate?
Besides vocalizations, belugas may communicate through facial expressions and physical contact. Visual behaviors such as breaches, pectoral slaps (slapping a pectoral flipper on the water’s surface), and lobtails (slapping flukes on the water’s surface) are not as common in belugas as in some other whale species.
Who has a crush on beluga?
Snowie: An anime girl who has a crush on beluga. She ate a chunk of lego and somehow, she survived.
Can beluga whales hear?
The Importance of Hearing and Communication in the Beluga Community. Belugas have a well-developed sense of hearing. They can hear sounds within the range of 1.2 to 120 kHz, with the greatest sensitivity between 10 and 75 kHz. For comparison, humans’ hearing range is 0.02 to 20 kHz—five times smaller.
Are beluga smart?
Beluga whales and bottlenose dolphins are related—they are both cetaceans, meaning they are in the whale family with orcas and narwhals. They are highly intelligent, social and vocal. But they typically live with their own kind, make their own calls and have their own specific, cultural behaviors.