Nighttime songs could reveal when endangered pygmy blue whales feed off Western Australia

Nighttime songs could reveal when endangered pygmy blue whales feed off Western Australia Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor Listening to the songs of endangered pygmy blue whales could help researchers identify when the animals are feeding off Western Australia's coast, improving scientists' ability to monitor their behavior and inform conservation efforts. In a new Curtin University-led study published in Royal Society Open Science, researchers found pygmy blue whales generally fed during daylight hours, leaving more time available for singing at night. During the pygmy blue whales' feeding season in Perth Canyon, more song was recorded at night than during the day for up to three months. The findings suggest that listening for differences in whale song between day and night could provide a way to monitor feeding activity across large areas of ocean without needing to observe the whales directly. The research examined pygmy blue whale singing and feeding behavior in offshore waters from the Perth Canyon, along Western Australia's Midwest coast and further north toward Ningaloo and the Northwest Shelf. Lead author and Ph.D. candidate Andrew Davenport from Curtin's Center for Marine Science and Technology says the relationship between feeding and singing offers a valuable new way to understand the behavior of this endangered population. Davenport says, "Just as we can't talk while we're eating, pygmy blue whales appear to have less time available to sing while they're feeding. By listening to when they sing more at night than during the day, we can infer when whales in an area are likely to be feeding." Publication details Andrew M. Davenport et al., Pygmy blue whale feeding drives greater nocturnal than diurnal song production, Royal Society Open Science (2026). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.260954 Journal information: Royal Society Open Science Provided by Curtin University