Greenland whales are sophisticated and original communicators, especially when it comes to mating

Researchers have discovered that the song of the Bowhead whale, also known as Greenland whale, is comprised of two different sounds blended together, creating a more complex song than other Baleen whale species.

The researchers led by Outi Maria Tervo at the University of Copenhagen’s Arctic research station in Disko Bay on Greenland’s west coast also found that the Bowhead whale never repeats a mating song as it composes a new one each year.

The whale song and melting sea ice have according to Tervo's research helped new populations interact in the waters around Disko Bay, where the Bowhead whale was considered a threatened species.

The researcher hypothesised that, ‘changes in their song repertoire are due to bowhead whales being so sophisticated that they change their songs from year to year in order to constantly attract and mate with new partners and thereby spread their genes’.

Bowhead whales are the only ‘singing’ whales where the gender of the singers has not been established. They are up to 18 metres long and known for having the largest mouth of any animal in the world.

Their preferred habitat is the Arctic and researchers believe more populations are mixing due to the opening of the North West Passage. Climate change has led to the passage being ice-free at certain times of the year, for the first time in more than 125,000 years.

Latest estimates from the International Whaling Commission put the Bowhead whale population at just 1,230 off Greenland's western coast, while there is an estimated 13,500 whales in the north Pacific population.