Marine Mammal Vocalizations

We can often tell who is talking without even seeing them. Many times we can also tell where they are without looking. How do we do this? In the ocean, whales, dolphins and other marine mammals communicate using vocalizations. How do you think they tell each other apart? What can scientists learn about marine mammals by listening to their vocalizations?

Procedure:

1. Listen to a series of marine mammal sounds in the podcast on the left. **The sounds are not in order, so look for the number when listening. Pause when the sound is done or else the podcast will continue.** What characteristics can you observe in order to compare the sounds to each other? (Hint: length of sound, pitch of sound, etc.) Record your observations in the “Description of Sound” column on the Vocalizations Data Table.

2. Using the “Discovery of Sound in the Sea” Audio Gallery and the characteristics you observed, see if you can match the sounds you heard to the species in the gallery. Record your guess of each species in the data table.

3. Read about each species and explain the types of vocalizations they produce.

4. Answer conclusion questions in complete sentences.