Marine mammals in the wild are rarely easy to identify. Even under ideal conditions, observers may not enjoy more than a glimpse: a splash, a spout, a brief view of a dorsal fin, head, back or flukes – seen, more often than not, at a considerable distance. Rough weather, glare from reflected sunlight, mist, fog, […]
Experts disagree on where and by what routes whales arrive and depart the water around Sri Lanka. Reliable migration data on cetaceans in the Indian Ocean is thin Many hypotheses have been and continue to be proposed in various publications The information given below is based on the latest studies and data; however, it must
Baleen whales produce complex sounds consisting of distinct sequences of tones ranging from high-pitched squeals to frequencies too low for human ears to hear. These sounds vary considerably in character. Noises that the human brain interprets as grunts, moans, roars, clangs and sighs can all be heard, in sequences that may last ten minutes or
Given the acoustic properties of the medium in which they live and their highly developed auditory senses, it is no surprise to learn that most cetacean communications are sonic. Dolphins have a vocabulary of clicks and whistles uttered sometimes above but mostly under water. When bow-riding (see Surface Behaviour), they often use these high-frequency calls,
