Whale Behavior Essay

Whale Behaviors: Mysterious and Unknown
Whales are perhaps by far the most mysterious creatures of the deep blue. It is not that we do not know much about the whales; rather, it is the reasons behind the ways that they act and communicate that we do not yet understand. Their ways of life have been researched in the past and present. Many speculations have been made as to why they do what they do, but the speculations themselves have speculations. Everyone has their own opinion but an opinion is not enough to unravel the mysteries behind a personality.
We don’t understand everything but we do know a few things behind whale behavior. The most questioned aspect of the whales is their main attribute: the whale song. These marine mammals are able to make loud melodic notes and tones that imitate the sounds of music created by humans and are often referred to as whale songs. This ability is not given to all the species of whales, though; only few species of whales can vocalize. The males have been found to be the gender of whales that can produce the more melodious and boisterous sounds. Because we normally hear whale songs during mating season, many have assumed that mating is a reason for these complex vocalizations (“Whale Facts”).
Because the waters of the deep blue are normally dark, scientists find it plausible for whales to be using their voices to navigate (“Noise Pollution”). It has also been discovered that whales use their voices to find each other for mating or gathering purposes. Just as we use our voices to communicate with each other, whales use their voices in songs to communicate with each other (“Whale Facts”).
Another behavior that people speculate about is whale beaching. A beached whale is often helpless given its i...

... middle of paper ...

...umpback”).
When a whale breaches, it could also be because there are parasites on its skin that would be shaken off when the whale splashes back into the water. Breaching might be the way whales clean themselves off. Sometimes a whale will breach to scare off any predators in the water. When the whale comes back down, the splash not only seems loud to those on the surface, but is also amplified under the water, thus scaring off any potential danger (Crockett).
Whales are still being studied today as we try to unravel the mysteries behind their behaviors. Continuing to be perhaps one of the greater oddities in our ocean, whales will hopefully continue living even after we answer our questions. We can't explain everything yet, but we can research until we do. With vast amounts of resources on our hands to do so, maybe one day we will understand the whale personality.