Whale Sounds

There are a variety of whale sounds and they are produced for different reasons. They are used for echolocation, for communication, to attract females and to impress competitors, to keep contact during long journeys, to locate each other in the vast oceans and maybe just for playful behaviour.

Toothed whales (Odontocetes) are able to see in the obscure, dark waters through echolocation. They produce various kinds of clicks to locate food or obstacles in the water. It is not definitely understood where the sounds are produced. Yet, it is well researched that the echolocation sound acts like a sonar. The reflected clicks tell the whale with what kind of living or non-living object he is confronted. Actually, studies have shown that these whales have an amazing ability to discern objects!

Whale communication is different in large whales (Mysticetes) than in small whales (Odontocetes). Large whales produce low-frequency sounds that can travel over hundreds of kilometres. Large whales often prefer to travel around alone. The ability to produce low-frequency sound keeps them in touch over long distances.

Small whales are usually more social and might even gang-up in huge pods of hundreds of individuals. They communicate with high-frequency sounds that don’t travel far in the water. They make sounds in a frequency range that is the human ear can perceive.


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