The First Whale Songs
A navy engineer listening for submarines off Bermuda recorded humpback whales singing, and changed how the world saw whales.
What was reported
In the 1950s, Frank Watlington, an engineer at a US Navy listening station on Bermuda, recorded strange, haunting sounds with underwater microphones meant to detect submarines. He realised they came from humpback whales.
In 1967 he shared his recordings with the biologists Roger Payne and Scott McVay, who found the sounds formed long, repeating patterns: true songs. The 1970 album Songs of the Humpback Whale became a bestseller and helped launch the 'Save the Whales' movement.
Explanations offered
Only male humpbacks sing, and all the males in a population sing the same song, which slowly changes over time. Why they sing isn't fully understood, though it's linked to breeding. Humpback song was included on the Voyager Golden Record, sent into space in 1977.
- When
- Recorded in the 1950s
- Where
- Off Bermuda, North Atlantic
- Witnesses
- Frank Watlington, Roger Payne and Scott McVay
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.