Almost 40 years ago, deep in the Pacific, a single voice called out a song unlike any other. The sound reverberated through the depths at 52 hertz, puzzling those listening to this solo ringing out from the ocean’s symphony. The frequency was much higher than a blue whale or its cousin, the fin whale, leaving scientists to ponder the mystery of Whale 52.
The leviathan has been heard many times since, but never seen. Some suspect it might have some deformation that alters its voice. Others think it might simply exhibit a highly unusual vocalization — a tenor among baritones. But marine biologist John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research Collective suggests another possibility: “The loneliest whale,” so named because there may be no one to respond to its unique call, may not be an anomaly, but a clue.
Calambokidis, who has spent more than 50 years studying cetaceans, suspects Whale 52 may be a hybrid: part blue whale, part fin whale.
Such a creature, often called a flue whale, is growing more common as warming seas push blues i... Read more
