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ELA 3: Echolocation and Whale Songs 20 Views


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Description:

Unlike whales, humans unfortunately can't detect the location of objects by emitting sound. So...stop screeching at the couch. It doesn't know where you left your keys.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:02

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:13

Whales communicate with one another, just like humans do. [Whales speaking to each other]

00:16

Okay, maybe with a little less texting... [Whales using mobile phones]

00:18

How do they do it?

00:19

By using something called “echolocation.”

00:21

Echolocation is when whales make sounds that are reflected back to them when it bounces [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

00:26

off of another object.

00:27

Like when you shout into a canyon. [Boy shouts into a canyon]

00:30

Echolocation is very important because it helps whales hunt, navigate in the water, [Whales holding a gun, reading a map and holding a phone]

00:34

and uh…just conduct interesting chit-chat.

00:36

There are two types of whales—toothed whales and baleen whales—and they communicate differently.

00:42

Toothed whales, such as the killer whale, use echolocation for hunting and navigating…

00:46

…but baleen whales, such as humpback whales, use deep sounds that sound like songs to communicate [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

00:51

with each other.

00:52

If you ever see a whale performing at a karaoke bar, dollars to donuts it’s a baleen whale. [Whale singing into a microphone]

00:57

So…what exactly are whale songs and why are they important?

01:00

Well, first of all, no one’s doing Celine Dion covers down there. [Whale next to the sunken Titanic]

01:03

We’re actually talking about sounds like groans, moans, roars, and even high pitched

01:08

squeaks.

01:09

Each whale song can last 10 minutes or longer. [Whale singing on stage]

01:11

Queen would be jealous. [Freddie Mercury appears]

01:12

Whales use these songs to communicate—to find other whales, warn each other of predators,

01:17

and find their way in the ocean.

01:19

And…to keep themselves occupied in the shower. [Whale singing in the shower]

01:21

Humans have to use special technology in order to hear many of these whale songs. [Man wearing headphones and holding a microphone]

01:25

Our ears actually cannot hear most of them, because they are very, very low in pitch. [Old man trying to speak to a whale]

01:29

Plus, they’re even harder to hear when a singing whale has its driver’s side window [Whale in a car]

01:33

rolled up…

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