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Biology Letters: Biologists have discovered that whales can whisper
Female Atlantic right whales can change the volume of their vocal signals when communicating with their eggs, switching to a whisper, Pravda.Ru reports, citing a study published in the journal Biology Letters.
Biologists believe that mammals use whispering to protect their young from killer whales and other predators. They came to this conclusion in 2019 after deciding to find out how Atlantic whales' behavior changes in response to the threat of detection by predators.
The researchers attached acoustic recording devices to the marine animals using suction cups. They soon discovered that the female whales did not reduce the volume of their calls until the birth of their calf. The sound could be heard within a radius of about 1 km.
Also, after the birth of the whale, she immediately begins to whisper. This allowed the device to detect the presence of mammals within a radius of up to 100 m. The frequency of speech signals also decreased. In other words, the females became calmer.
It was previously known that bees under stress tend to make pessimistic decisions and become depressed. Experts noted that the behavior of bees during stressful situations is similar to the emotional reactions of people in similar situations, but it is unclear whether the insects experience any emotions or even if they experience any at all.