The Mystery of the 52-Hz Whale: A Solo Song from the Ocean's Quiet Giant
A U.S. Navy hydrophone recorded a strange 52-Hz whale call in the Pacific starting in 1989, a frequency higher than typical baleen whales. Woods Hole researchers followed the single-singer call for about 12 years, naming the animal Blue 52, though its exact species and identity remain unknown. Theories include a malformation or a hybrid; there is no evidence the whale is truly lonely. The case popularized the idea of the “loneliest whale,” intertwined with concerns about how ship noise affects whale communication, and the animal has never been visually observed.