Chant des baleines

http://songlinesofthewhales.org

These images are from two encounters we had in 2001. The first was an early morning encounter with a mother and calf while we were still at anchor in Platypus Bay on the the west coast of Fraser Island. The second encounter was later that day with a breaching whale named Sky Rider.

The mother and calf in this video approached us around 7am while we were at anchor in 3 meters of water. Sky Rider had already been constantly breaching when we approached him. We stopped counting after sixty breaches. He was still breaching when we left him. There are many theories as to why whales breach. Personally, we feel that they breach for the pure joy of it. It is the only way they are able to experience gravity in the same way we do.

The song is clearly audible through the hull of the research vessel. Depending on the proximity of the singer, the song is also audible while standing on the deck. The sound pressure level of the song is reduced significantly once it passes into the air. Whales speak to each other constantly. The cadence and syncopation of their normal conversations are much different from that of their songs. They often make sounds above water through their blow holes.

Hominis universus balaena
Human as one with Whale

SONGLINES documents the evolution of the intricate and beautiful East Australian Humpback song. An hour of pristine digital recordings selected from five different years between 1992 and 2008 which draw the listener into a mysterious and majestic world.

Established in 1988, The Oceania Project is an independent, non-profit research organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and the oceans.

Humpback whale songs are transferred from year to year and evolve in a similar fashion to the verbally transmitted tribal lore of Aboriginal cultures from where the term songlines is derived.

The East Australian Humpback Whales travel in an unending cycle of migration between their birthplace in the inter-reef lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef and their Antarctic feeding areas.

Their world is comprised of vast stretches of ocean where songs emitted by the Humpback Whales can be heard over great distances. Each year the whales sing a new song. Haunting melodies of radiant joy which fill the ocean along the East Coast of Australia.

When ecosystems across the planet are collapsing and species are becoming extinct at an accelerating rate, the East Australian Humpback Whales are making a remarkable recovery. They have become Australia's national treasure and a symbol of hope for our imperiled environment.

We as the new generation of caretakers of the planet Earth have learnt from the mistakes of our elders and are helping nurture the Rebirth of a Species.

Audio CD: 5 Tracks, running time 60 minutes. Track 3 features Migaloo the White Whale recorded in 1998.

© The Oceania Project - All Rights Reserved

To celebrate the annual return of the Humpback Whales, sixty Australian communities are participating in the Humpback Icon Project. Each of these communities has adopted a known individual Humpback Whale from The Oceania Project's Fluke Catalogue:

http://bit.ly/HumpbackIconProject

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• humpback
• whale
• dolphin
• cetacea
• research
• oceania
• iwhales
• migaloo

[AnimalNaturFreak]

ohhh... that sound is so beautiful...

I love them!^^

[Boyyie1]

Probably the best video of whales I have EVER seen. Great job, thanks for posting.

[EARTHDAYBRASIL]

these are some beautiful sounds love and peace

[EdenOnLand]

Magnifique....Fascinent ....! <3

[MelleProuprou]

Fascinant : beau et un peu effrayant

[blackjo14]

Splendide ! magnifique !

[rougezaferan]

It is absolutely wonderful and magic...beautiful a pleasure of the eyes :))

[lapich51]

j'adore, absolument extra !!!

[darki62880]

c'est si bizarre et pourtant si beau ...

[spoot02]

magnifique tout sinplement

[Sohighmanfly]

=' )

[fizwizbiz96]

Si adorable, maman et bébé qui communiquent ... :)