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| The Song of the Humpback click here to hear the sound of the whale These mighty creatures of the sea, prior to the 1970's, were nearly hunted to exctinction. In 1970 the Humpback Whale was listed as an endangered species. Although still endangered, Humpbacks are found in every ocean of the world. The journey and habits of this incredible Cetacean are still very much a mystery, even with all of our modern science. Summers are spent feeding in the cold waters of Alaska - then moving south to warmer climates to reproduce every winter. The journey of this ocean mammal is long and full of mystery for its "brother" of curiosity, the human mammal. The recordings of these Baleen Whales were made in the Pacific Ocean in the early 1960’s - they are some of the purest Whale sounds ever heard. Although co-operative in, their feeding grounds, the Humpback whales are competitive in their breeding grounds. Since most singing is done by males during the breeding season, many scientists believe the song plays a role in breeding behavior. The Humpback’s song changes over time, varying from year to year. These songs are complex and may appear to even have some form of structure. The grunts, groans, highs, lows and crescendoes are mystical and intriguing. Most of the sounds created by this amazing creature in these songs are unique for this period of time... you might say... the best of the early sixties! A special “Thank you” to Scientist and Whale Acoustics expert, Dr. Mark McDonald from “whaleacoustics.com” for his expertise in confirming that these are singing Humpbacks, and that scientific evidence suggests all, or at least nearly all, singing humpbacks are males. As my father often said to me, “...listen and learn.” Please join me in listening to the melodies from these, “Mighty Creatures of the Deep!” Karen Dingerson
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As the daughter of an oceanographic researcher and developer, I learned at a very young age the presence of a multitude of sounds coming from the sea. Some are very subtle, some harsh, some soft and some very intense- but all very fascinating. One of the most wonderful things my father, David G. Hollaway, left for me are his recordings of the Humpback Whale. It is my privilege now to share these incredible sounds from the deep with the rest of the world.