His name is 52 Hertz, but he is known to many as “the world’s loneliest whale.” NOAA has been tracking the whale’s mysterious song for decades, after the Navy detected the strange whale calls in 1992. According to Alaska Dispatch , naval monitoring has mapped 52 Hertz’s travel around the Pacific. He zig-zags up and down the west coast of North America, approaching as far north as the Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
The whale was named “52 Hertz” after the frequency at which he typically calls out. He’s dubbed the loneliest, because no other whales ever return his song. They simply can’t. They can’t hear his song. See, other species of whales, like humpbacks and blue whales, call out at frequencies in the 15 to 25 Hertz range . No one knows what his species is. Scientists have wondered if he may be a rare hybrid species. Some wonder if he may be the last of his species still living… a living relic of a species humans never got the chance to know.
Whale singing unusual frequency roams Pacific Ocean, but never hears a response http://t.co/FKO7buNJge #WhalesToday @thestorywithdg #52Hertz
— NB Whaling Museum (@whalingmuseum) July 2, 2014
His heartbreaking story of loneliness makes some wonder how he could still sing after at least 20 years of unanswered calls. Is he looking for someone he once knew? Is that why he’s never given up his song? Or does he sing simply to sing?
Coaches’ Pick: “52 Hertz” by @wesleydharmon: http://t.co/hnTp36Tk78
— Dribbble (@dribbble) April 17, 2014
According to The Wrap , Worldview Entertainment announced at this year’s Cannes film festival that its documentary, called simply “52,” will chronicle the heartbreaking story of the world’s loneliest whale. Filming it set to start this fall. Whale-lovers are eager to discover what mysteries the filmmakers may uncover as they try to chronicle the life and songs of the loneliest whale in the world.
Documentary to be made about the mysterious lone ’52 hertz whale’, which sounds like no other whale http://t.co/hDY5wJih8t
— TheLondonSoundSurvey (@LondonSounds) June 14, 2014
[Photos by Daily Mail and Frank Wirth from Wiki Commons ]
