Appian Way
Why does a single whale sing at the wrong frequency? It’s a question that scientists have debated since, in 1989, the US Navy detected the strange song of the mysterious “52 Hz whale”, known as the loneliest animal in the world.
Even in the 1980s, hearing whale songs on underwater recordings was not uncommon – but there were something peculiar about this sound. It sounded like a whale, but the noise was detected at a frequency of 52 hertzmuch louder than the usual calls of baleen whales, such as those of the blue whale or the fin whale.
So, what could be producing this noise?
Although the identity of the whale is unknown, and it is not even known whether it is male or female, some scientists call it “Blue 52“, says .
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute monitored for more than 12 years, in the Pacific Ocean, the unique song of this whalebetween August and February, but especially in December and January — before the animal disappears out of reach.
The results of his research were presented in a 2004 publication in the journal Science Direct.
According to the study authors, noise came from a single individual because “only one series of these 52 Hz calls was recorded at a time, with no overlapping calls”.
The researchers never saw the whale nor were they able to confirm its species — after all, it would take incredible luck to find a specific whale in the vast ocean.
Over the years, scientists have advanced some theories about the melodious tones of this whale: you will have a malformation that makes your voice higher pitched than other whales? Or it could be a hybrid of two speciesperhaps it is a “flue whale”, a cross between a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)?
Whatever the answer, this eccentric whale has captured the world’s attention. If perhaps you were sing on the wrong frequencya, people wondered if the other whales would be able to hear it. And, if they couldn’t, the question on everyone’s lips was: I would be alone?
This idea led to it being nicknamed “the loneliest whale in the world“, despite there is no scientific proof that suggest that Blue 52 is alone, or that whales can even feel loneliness as we understand it.
The mysterious whale even served as inspiration for music, by the famous boysband sul-korean BTSand for a 2021 titled The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52.
Until now, no one has ever seen this whale. Maybe one day someone will see it, as blue whales can live for around 90 years. But until then, many of our questions about Blue 52 will remain unanswered.
