Swimmer-songwriters: Whales have their own tunes that spread around the world 'like hit singles'
By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 9:10 AM on 15th April 2011
When Lady Gaga releases a catchy new single, it quickly goes around the world.
Now scientists have discovered the same thing happens with the songs of another exotic creature – the humpback whale.
The mammals become fixated on new tunes just like people do, and the most popular original whale songs spread globally like hit singles.
The discovery has stunned marine experts who say it is the first time such a large, `population wide cultural exchange' has been seen in the animal kingdom.
Male humpback whales are famed for the loud, long and complex songs they make during the mating season. Scientists are unsure why the males sing. Some believe it is a way of advertising themselves to females, others that it allows migrating whales to stay in contact.
Each song lasts for ten to 20 minutes and the males can sing continuously for 24 hours.
At any one time, all the males in a population sing the same song.
But a study, published in the journal Current Biology, shows that this song changes over time and spreads around the oceans. Dr Ellen Garland, of Queensland University, said: `Our findings reveal cultural change on a vast scale. Songs move like cultural ripples from one population to another, causing all males to change their song to a new version.'
Researchers recorded songs from six neighbouring populations of whales in the Pacific over a decade. They found that new versions of the songs appear over time and always spread from west to east.
It takes two years for songs that appear in the waters off Australia to be heard in French Polynesia.
It takes around two years for songs that appear in the waters off Australia to be heard in French Polynesia
Dr Garland believes that a small number of whales may migrate to other populations carrying the new songs with them, or that they are heard by passing whales.
Most of the new songs contain material from the previous year blended with something new.
`It would be like splicing an old Beatles song with U2,' she said. `Occasionally they completely throw the current song out of the window and start singing a brand new song.'
The researchers suspect whales adopt new songs to make themselves distinct. Dr Garland said: `We think this male quest for song novelty is in the hope of being that little bit different and perhaps more attractive to the opposite sex. This is then countered by the urge to sing the same tune, by the need to conform.'
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