Tuesday, September 4, 2007

The Ultimate Question

According to the Acoustical Society of America, male humpback whales are faced with an interesting dilemma. Should they sing and attract females or should they stay quiet to eat more? Males that sing swim more slowly than those that don't, possibly ending up with less time in the feeding grounds to fatten up for the next winter.
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University of Sydney acousticians also found that singers averaged 2.5 km/hr migration rates, while non-singers averaged 4.0 km/hr.