Episode guide
Whale Songs: The Ocean's Lullaby
In the deep, humpback whales sing songs that travel farther than any voice on land. This episode listens from below the waves.
The science, gently
- Humpback songs can last twenty minutes and be repeated, verse by verse, for hours.
- Low whale notes can travel enormous distances through the sea, far beyond any shout in air.
- Whales in the same region share a song that slowly changes through the season, like a tune passed along.
Wonder together
- What would you sing, if your voice carried a hundred miles?
- Who do you think the whale is singing to?
- What is the deepest sound you can make, and where do you feel it?
Tonight's calm-down
Whale song is slow because the ocean is big. Make your out-breath a whale note: long, low, unhurried. Send one to someone you love. The night ocean will carry it.