Whales struggle to hear each other. Guess whose fault that is

New research into how baleen whales make low, vibrating sounds is also highlighting the serious dangers these animals face from ocean noise pollution.

These bristle-mouthed animals include some of the world’s most recognizable species, including the blue, humpback and bowhead whales, among others. 

“They make sounds of very low frequencies very close to the surface,” said Coen Elemans, study author and professor of bioacoustics at the University of Southern Denmark. 

“And that’s exactly where we make boating noise, in exactly the same frequency range and also on the surface.” 

Low but not deep

Compared to their toothed cousins like orcas or belugas, baleen whales use a novel