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Now, welcome to the Bedtime Scientist.
Tonight we're going on a journey deep beneath the waves to listen to the whispers of whales.
Take a deep breath in, let it out, close your eyes and imagine floating in the water, the surface glimmering with the sunlight.
As you sink lower, the sunlight slowly fades down lower until the world turns a deep, calming blue.
Down here, sound is everything.
Water carries sound far better than air.
So the ocean is like a giant concert hall and the stars of the show the whale.
They are the great singers of the sea.
Whales don't use their voices the same way we do.
Instead, they send vibrations through the air-filled spaces inside their heads and bodies, almost like a built-in instrument.
When the sound waves leave their body.
The ocean carries those notes for miles and miles, sometimes even across entire oceans.
Imagine Humming a tune in your room and someone on the other side of the planet hearing it.
That's the power of a whale's song.
There are many kinds of whales and each has its own way of speaking.
Humpback whales sing long, beautiful songs, and they can last up to 20 minutes.
Their songs even have verses, like music written on invisible paper.
Scientists believe that humpback whales change their songs year after year, and all the whales in one part of the world learn the new version together.
Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on earth and they sing in very low.
Their voices are so deep that we, as humans, can't always hear them without special microphones.
Imagine the lowest piano note you've ever heard and then go even lower.
That's the sound of a blue whale calling to another hundreds of miles away.
Another kind of whale, called an orca or a killer whale, uses quick clicks and whistles.
Their sounds aren't exactly songs, but they're still full of meaning.
Orcas live in tight family groups called pods, and each pod has its own accent, almost like a family language.
If you met an orca from far away, It would sound different from all the other ones that live close to home.
Now, let's drift even deeper.
Imagine the water is calm, almost still, and in the distance you hear a long, low moan.
It rises and falls, playing under the waves.
That's a fin whale, sometimes called the Greyhound of the sea because of how fast it moves.
Its song might only be two or three notes, but those notes can travel hundreds of miles carrying a message we are only beginning to understand sing.
But scientists think that some songs seem to be finding mates or marking their territory, and others for keeping in touch with family far away.
It's as if the ocean has invisible telephone lines made out of sound.
Think of it this way.
While we humans build cities with wires and satellites to talk to each other, whales simply open their mouths and let the sea carry their voices.
They have learned to communicate. in one of the most difficult places to live, the endless ocean.
Close your eyes and imagine you are floating gently near a giant humpback whale.
It's enormous, longer than a school bus, but so peaceful.
You feel small, but safe and calm.
The whale opens its mouth and the first note of the song surrounds you.
It vibrates through the water, through your body, into your bones.
The sound is not just heard.
It's like being wrapped, you know, warm blanket made of music.
As you listen, you hear patterns.
The whale repeats a phrase. changes, adding something new.
Other whales nearby join in, and suddenly the whole ocean feels alive with voices.
Imagine falling asleep with a lullaby.
But instead of one singer, the sea itself is singing you to sleep.
When scientists listen.
With underwater microphones called hydrophones, scientists can track where whales are, how they travel and even how healthy the ocean is.
If the songs grow quiet, it might mean the whales are moving away, and if the ocean is loud with their voices, it means They are thriving.
In this way, whales are not only singers, but storytellers sharing the secrets of the sea.
Let's take another deep breath in and out.
Let yourself sway on the waves.
Picture the dark blue world around you, lit by gentle moonlight.
On the waves Above you, stars sparkle.
Below you, you feel the endless ocean.
And somewhere on that ocean, a whale calls out, long, low, and steady.
A reminder that you are never truly alone.
Let the whale's whispers carry you into dreams.
Feel the deep notes rocking you on the waves.
Safe.
Come, the whales will keep singing even as you sleep.
Their song has been playing for a very long time and it will be echoing tomorrow and just before you drift off, to dream about calm waters and songs as old as the sea.
I want you to know something about you.
Your mind is a wonderful thing, so full of curiosity, And I like your mind just the way it wonders.
I'll be back again soon to wonder more with you.
