FALMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) – Scientists in Falmouth stumbled upon a disc from 1949 with audio of a whale sounding like it’s singing, and they say the file is potentially the oldest vocal recording of a whale.
Experts at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said the disc had been just sitting in their archives.
“I immediately noticed on the notes for some of the recording there were marks that said, ‘whoop whoop fish or moaning, or fish noises,’” said Ashley Jester, who works at the Institution.”
The noises turned out to be from a Humpback whale recorded off the coast of Bermuda.
The institution said it digitized their archives last year, which allowed them to finally hear the recording.
“It’s almost hard to describe. I would say it was very much a full body, visceral experience of realizing this is actually what we thought from when it was written on the notes,” said Jester.
Jester said they are hoping to digitize more of their older audio discs which could lead to more new discoveries.
“If we find the information to allow us to calibrate it, it can help scientists figure out how whale songs have changed,” she said.
Scientists say they plan to use this discovery to help further deep ocean audio testing in the future.
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