A University of Queensland study has found humpback whales sing louder when the wind is noisy, but don’t have the same reaction to boat engines.
Research lead Dr Elisa Girola from UQ’s Faculty of Science said this quirk of whale evolution could have consequences for breeding and behaviour.
“Humpback whales evolved over millions of years with noise from natural sources but noise from man-made vessels is foreign to their instincts,” Dr Girola said.
“It’s a surprising finding given engine noise has a similar frequency range to the wind."
