The ‘52-Hertz Whale’ Is The Loneliest Animal In The World—Here’s What We Know – Forbes
Deep in the Pacific, humans have tracked a mysterious whale’s call for decades—but no other whale … [+] seems to respond. And now, we might be running out of time to find the source.As far as deep-sea mysteries go, few are as intriguing as the solitary call that has echoed through the Pacific Ocean for decades. What makes this call particularly strange is that it rings out at a frequency so distinct it seems to belong to a creature utterly alone.Known as the “52-hertz whale,” this enigmatic animal has captivated marine biologists, oceanographers and the public alike. Its story is one of total isolation—an individual possibly incapable of communicating with even its own kind.But is this whale truly alone, or is its unusual call part of an evolutionary experiment humans are not yet privy to?In the late 1980s, the U.S. Navy was routinely monitoring the Pacific Ocean for something far removed from marine life—enemy submarines. Using the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), a vast network of hydrophones originally designed during the Cold War to track Soviet submarines, Navy analysts were accustomed to picking up a variety of underwater noises—the deep calls of migrating whales, the rumble of shifting tectonic plates and the distant echoes of ships cutting through the waves.But amid this usual oceanic backdrop, their hydrophones picked up something unprecedented: a whale song at 52 hertz—a frequency higher than any known baleen whale’s call. Most baleen whales (suborder Mysticeti), such as blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), communicate in the 15 to 25 hertz range—low, rumbling sounds that can travel hundreds of miles under the right conditions.Baleen is a comb-like structure made of keratin (the same protein found in human hair and nails) … [+] that hangs from the upper jaws of baleen whales (Mysticeti). Instead of teeth, these whales use baleen plates to filter-feed on small prey like krill, plankton, and small fish.But this 52-hertz call was different. It was too high-pitched for any known baleen species yet too structured to be dismissed as random ocean noise.The Navy initially classified the recordings, keeping them within its acoustic archives. However, after the Cold War ended, the decommissioning of SOSUS led to partial declassification of its acoustic data, allowing civilian researchers access to years’ worth of underwater recordings.This is when a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), led by marine mammal researcher William Watkins, took notice. Recognizing the potential significance of the signal, Watkins and his colleagues began tracking the mysterious call over multiple years, monitoring its movements across the Pacific and analyzing its vocal structure.Scientists quickly ruled out toothed whales (suborder Odontoceti) as potential sources of the sound, as they rely on echolocation rather than long-distance songs. Species like sperm whales, orcas, and dolphins produce clicks, whistles, and burst pulses, typically at much higher frequencies than 52 hertz.Initially, researchers hypothesized that the 52-hertz whale could be:What was certain was that no other whale seemed to respond.It has now been more than three decades since the mysterious 52-hertz whale was first detected, and despite technological advancements in marine research, it remains an enigma. One of the most significant findings since its discovery is that this call does, in fact, come from a single individual, not a group of whales with similarly unusual vocal patterns.Using long-term tracking of the whale’s unique acoustic signature, scientists have followed its seasonal movements, noting that it migrates similarly to blue and fin whales, covering thousands of miles across the North Pacific. However, no physical sighting of the whale has ever been confirmed, leaving many details—such as its species, age, and exact size—a complete mystery.If the whale is indeed a blue whale or fin whale hybrid, its expected lifespan could range between 70 and 90 years (although some baleen whales can live much longer, such as the bowhead whale—the longest-living mammal). Since its call was first detected in the late 1980s, it is likely still alive today—though we are entering the later stages of its potential lifespan.That raises an eerie question: How much longer will we hear its lonely song?Some researchers speculate that, as with all aging baleen whales, the intensity and frequency of its calls may change over time. If this whale is already several decades old, we may one day detect its final call, signaling the loss of one of the ocean’s greatest mysteries before we ever get a chance to see it.Even if the 52-hertz whale is still alive, there’s another growing concern: human activity is making the ocean a noisier place than ever before.Shipping traffic, sonar systems, and industrial activity are flooding the ocean with artificial noise, making it harder for whales to communicate. Scientists have recorded stress responses in whales when exposed to loud human-made sounds, which may interfere with their ability to find food, navigate, or even avoid predators.This leaves us with something to think about: The loneliest whale in the world has struggled to communicate for decades, and the modern ocean with its mechanical hum of global commerce may only be making its isolation worse.Are you deeply moved by the idea of an animal calling out without a response from its own kind? Or do you see this as a reminder of how little we still understand about life beneath the waves? Take the free, science-backed Connectedness to Nature Scale to understand your relationship with the natural world better.One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:So, how can you be a power user?Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site’s Terms of Service.
