Main points
- In 1949, the oldest known audio file of humpback whale vocalizations was recorded near Bermuda.
- This recording helps researchers understand changes in the underwater sound environment over time, taking into account the impacts of human activities.
Archives reveal oldest recording of whale “singing” / mvoyage
A sound recording found in a vault at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has revealed a humpback whale song recorded on March 7, 1949. The recordings, made nearly 80 years ago, are the earliest known recordings of whale vocalizations and could help researchers better understand changes in the underwater sound environment over time.
The ancient sound file lay in WHOI's archives for nearly eight decades before archivists found it during digitization and discovered that it was not just a recording of sea noises, but the song of a humpback whale.
The recording was made on March 7, 1949, near Bermuda, when researchers were working on acoustic tests, including testing sonar systems and other underwater devices, and installed microphones underwater. At that time, scientists had not yet identified the sources of many ocean sounds, so the recording was not cataloged and remained forgotten. This is what Discover Wildlife writes.
What exactly was discovered and why is it important?
The fragment, now identified as a humpback whale, is the oldest confirmed audio of the animal's vocalizations. Before that, the oldest known recordings were from the 1950s and were made by US Navy underwater hydrophones.
As Green Matters writes, old recordings provide a unique opportunity to compare how the “sound of the ocean” has changed over recent decades, especially given the increase in boat traffic, industrial noise and other human impacts . Such data is important for understanding how modern changes in the environment affect the whales’ ability to communicate and navigate the ocean.
Technically, the recording was made using experimental underwater equipment from WHOI at the time and a Gray Audograph recorder, which recorded sounds on thin plastic discs. It is thanks to this physical form of the medium that the disc has survived to this day.