{"id":23395,"date":"2023-01-11T10:14:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T09:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=23395"},"modified":"2023-01-12T10:20:13","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T09:20:13","slug":"strange-song-of-sei-whales-heard-off-falkland-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2023\/01\/11\/strange-song-of-sei-whales-heard-off-falkland-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"Strange song of sei whales heard off Falkland Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif intro\">The \u201ceerie swishes and whooshes\u201d of this scarce whale have been recorded for the first time <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1625\" height=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-23393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f.jpg 1625w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-1536x1200.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1625px) 100vw, 1625px\" \/><figcaption>The sei whale is categorised as Endangered by the IUCN <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif dropcap\">THE SEI WHALE IS THE THIRD-LARGEST marine mammal, but its calls are seldom heard. Protected since 1970 following decades of whaling, sei whale numbers are increasing, with waters around the Falkland Islands a uniquely large gathering area in spring and autumn. <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/Salvatore-Cerchio-for-BBC_cmyk-851x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-23955\" width=\"144\" height=\"173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/Salvatore-Cerchio-for-BBC_cmyk-851x1024.png 851w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/Salvatore-Cerchio-for-BBC_cmyk-249x300.png 249w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/Salvatore-Cerchio-for-BBC_cmyk-768x924.png 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/Salvatore-Cerchio-for-BBC_cmyk-1276x1536.png 1276w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2023\/01\/Salvatore-Cerchio-for-BBC_cmyk-1702x2048.png 1702w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 144px) 100vw, 144px\" \/><figcaption>Marine mammal biologist Salvatore Cerchio analysed the whale song<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">To learn more about their population recovery and why sei whales like these waters so much, Falklands Conservation and the African Aquatic Conservation Fund <span>backed a long-term study, now reported in the journal <\/span><em>Royal <\/em><em>Society <\/em><em>Open <\/em><em>Science. <\/em><span>For this, researchers Salvatore Cerchio and Caroline Weir analysed a huge dataset collected from continuous sound recordings made from the seabed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">At first, the team was baffled by the \u2018other-worldly\u2019 noises they heard, but deeper analysis revealed organised and repeated sei whale phrases. The sounds are very different to the rich and resonant courtship calls made by humpback whales and are more like <span style=\"\">eerie swishesand whooshes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThe discovery of a complex structured song for sei whales was truly a great surprise,\u201d says Salvatore, not least since this has never before been reported. \u201cThe characteristics of the songs and their seasonal timing makes it very likely these songs are a male breeding display.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The discovery further highlights the global status of Falkland waters for the species, says Caroline. The islands now have great importance for monitoring post-whaling recovery of the species in the southern hemisphere, she adds, which could help to ensure that numbers continue to increase. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Kenny Taylor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">PHOTOS: WHALE: DR CAROLINE WEIR\/FALKLANDS CONSERVATION<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201ceerie swishes and whooshes\u201d of this scarce whale have been recorded for the first time <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":23393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"13","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"13","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_13-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_13-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"February-2023","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"February-2023","purple_external_id":"February-2023-13-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"February-2023-13-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000087240||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000087240||","purple_android_product":"com.im.wildlife.500","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.wildlife.500","purple_ios_product":"com.im.wildlife.500","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.wildlife.500","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"58d61955-0ac4-406c-83f1-ab6f21d86b70","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-01-12T09:14:58Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"b1c9d434-0285-466f-a4ba-653b9070837a","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-01-12T09:20:18Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AscnUNAKFRm-kumU7kHCDeg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[25],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f.jpg",1625,1270,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-300x234.jpg",300,234,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-768x600.jpg",768,600,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-1024x800.jpg",800,625,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f-1536x1200.jpg",1536,1200,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/12\/1e10d32a-a621-4523-b7a4-228bc9a3e10f.jpg",1625,1270,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The \u201ceerie swishes and whooshes\u201d of this scarce whale have been recorded for the first 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