How Can Whales Sing? | Colossal Questions | Science for Kids | Mega Moments

[00:00:00]The awesome question.

[00:00:04]>> What actually is the largest animal to ever exist? Many of the biggest animals to ever exist live hundreds of thousands or even millions of years ago. Take Gigantopithecus for example. The largest ape to ever live was a distant relative of modern-day orangutans who stood somewhere between 8 and 10 ft tall.

[00:00:28]That's mighty big to us humans, but it pales in comparison to the biggest animals ever. The largest creature living on land today is the African elephant, which can weigh up to 7 tons, which is about the same as your average delivery truck. A full-grown African elephant can be up to 35 ft from trunk to tail and stand about 12 ft tall.

[00:00:52]Okay, that's the largest land animal on Earth today, but what's the biggest animal ever? Well, believe it or not, it's not a dinosaur or a woolly mammoth or any kind of colossal creature from the past. That's right. It turns out the largest animal ever is actually living today, but it doesn't live on land. It thrives deep in the ocean, quietly bigger than any massive meat-eater who ever lived. It's the blue whale and it's not even that close. Blue whales can be anywhere between 75 and 100 ft long when they're fully grown and can weigh well over 100 tons. To put that into perspective, that's about as long as three school buses lined up and heavier than a space shuttle. Their heart is about the size of a small car and their arteries are big enough for a human to actually climb through. They're so big that a group of 50 people could stand together on a blue whale's tongue. Even baby blue whales are big. A newborn calf is about 25 ft long and already weighs more than an African elephant. This makes blue whales not just the biggest creature on Earth, but the biggest by a wide margin. You might imagine that the mighty dinosaurs who lived millions of years ago were bigger, but nope. Maybe the largest known dinosaur is the Argentinosaurus, which only weighed around 180,000 lb. Or about half the weight of a blue [music] whale. It might seem surprising to us, but it actually makes a lot of sense that the world's biggest creatures live underwater rather than on land.

[00:02:36]Land animals have to be able to support all that weight, but sea creatures get some extra help from the water, which makes it easier to grow nice and, well, colossal.

[00:02:48]Have you ever stopped and wondered why whales do all that singing?

[00:02:53]Not all whales sing, just a special group called baleen, which includes blue whales and humpbacks among others.

[00:03:01]They're maybe the most well-known underwater singer-songwriter, but they're far from the only aquatic animal that makes noise. In fact, the ocean is pretty loud. Sea creatures are always making songs, screams, clicks, clacks, boops, bops, and all sorts of strange sounds, but none of those noises are even close to as sophisticated and specific as a whale song. You see, whale songs already sound pretty complicated on the surface, but when you dig in, things get even more complex. You see, whale songs are arranged into elaborate but predictable patterns and phrases that are repeated over and over, no different from a complicated piece of classic music. But instead of different instruments, a whale song is made up of different sounds like groans, trills, clicks, and cries. Those noises are arranged in phrases which make up themes that are repeated in a pattern that make up a song. Whale songs don't have a specific ending. Whales can sing them for as long or as little as they feel like. Most whales sing for about 30 minutes at a time, but it can go on for hours and hours. And that's not all.

[00:04:17]Whales don't just sing the same song forever. Each year they add, drop, or adjust phrases in [music] their songs constantly updating them. That means whales sing one ever-evolving piece of music over the years. No one really knows for sure why whales sing, but experts do have some solid guesses.

[00:04:36]Since only male whales sing, it could be a way to attract a mate, but most of the time it just attracts other male singers, so that might not be why.

[00:04:47]Others think it might be a way of marking their territory and keeping other males from getting too close. Pods of whales always travel to the same warm spots to breed and cold spots to feed, so it could be part of keeping their area safe. Some today think it has less to do with either [music] and is much more to do with navigating those dark murky ocean waters. Think of it like echolocation with a melody. You see, light doesn't travel very well underwater, but sound waves actually move about four times faster than they do in the air. So, one [snorts] of the best things for any aquatic animal to communicate, especially [music] across long distances, is by sound rather than sight. Whatever the reason, it's clear that songs are super important to the whale way of life. So, why do whales sing? Who knows? Hopefully one day we can finally crack [music] this musical mystery once and for all.

[00:05:44]Have you ever stopped and wondered how a flying squirrel do their thing?

[00:05:50]Despite their name, flying squirrels don't really fly. They're more like expert gliders who can soar long distances through the forest almost as if they're flying. With a graceful jump, these cute little critters can parachute themselves up to 150 ft between trees.

[00:06:09]They do this to avoid becoming a snack for any large predators stalking them from below. There are about 15 different species of flying squirrel around the world, but most of them live in North and Central America. They tend to live in old abandoned bird nests or holes up in trees. Their fur can have a variety of colors and patterns, and they come in all different sizes. At first, you might not be able to tell the difference between a flying squirrel [music] and their average non-flying counterparts.

[00:06:40]They're fluffy with cute tails, big black eyes, and adorable faces. But, the one big difference is those webbed wing-like flaps coming off their sides called patagia. Now, we know why flying squirrels do what they do, but how do they actually do it? Why can flying squirrels glide around with ease while the rest are stuck climbing? The key are those funny folds on their sides that we mentioned before. The patagia are furry membranes that connect at the wrist and down [music] at the ankles. As it scurries around on the ground, those flaps fold away. But, the moment a flying squirrel spreads its limbs and leaps into the air, that loose skin tightens like a sail, letting our furry friends fly through the sky. Using their patagia, flying squirrels can even maneuver around in the air just by lowering one arm or another, allowing them to steer, >> [music] >> swoop, and glide wherever they want to go. They're so good at steering that they can even change direction on [music] a dime they might fly doing 90° turns, or sometimes turn around completely >> [music] >> if they sense any danger in the air. As they approach their landing spot, flying squirrels stick up their tails to slow themselves down and land as quietly as they can on their padded feet. So, how do [music] flying squirrels fly? Well, they don't. Instead, they dart around like world champion hang gliders, which honestly is just as impressive as flapping your wings to fly.

[00:08:11]Can animals actually talk to each other?

[00:08:15]Experts say that all languages from cultures all around the world are rooted in turn-taking.

[00:08:22]One person talks, then the other responds, back and forth. We just call that, well, talking. And it might seem [music] basic, but it forms the foundation of all languages. And, believe it or not, most animals across the globe tend to turn-take with each other, too. There's still lots of research [music] that needs to be done on how animals talk to each other, but experts are confident that animals definitely can communicate with each other. In fact, anyone who's spent time around a pet probably already knows this. Dogs and cats respond to commands or even specific words that they can understand. They can also talk back to you. Most pet owners can tell when their dog is hungry or tired or needs to pee or wants to play. All of that is your pet talking to you. All the different sounds that animals make are a form of language. Barks, meows, croaks, bleats, tweets, roars, and songs are all ways for those animals to communicate.

[00:09:27]According to experts, prairie dogs have one of the best vocabularies of any animal out there. They don't just use words or sounds to tell other prairie dogs that there's a looming threat, they can also use more expressive words that let the others know the size, shape, threat level, and oncoming speed of an approaching creature. In most cases, experts are still trying to understand what animals are saying to each other, but it's pretty clear that animals everywhere are always talking.

[00:09:58]So, do animals talk to each other?

[00:10:01]Absolutely. It just might be a while before we have any good idea what they're saying.

[00:10:07]Why do zebras have such distinct stripes?

[00:10:12]There's three basic species of zebra, mountain zebras, Grevy's zebras, and plain zebras.

[00:10:20]Mountain zebras have hard hooves to climb and keep balance on rugged rocks.

[00:10:25]Grevy's zebras are giant and donkey-like [music] with big round ears.

[00:10:31]And plain zebras are both the smallest and most common.

[00:10:37]When you picture a zebra, chances are you imagine a white horse-like animal with black stripes all over, but it's actually the opposite. Zebras are actually black creatures with white stripes.

[00:10:52]Every single zebra has its very own set of unique stripes, kind of like a fingerprint.

[00:10:59]Biologists can't say for sure why zebras have such distinct stripes, [music] but they have developed some theories over the years.

[00:11:08]For a long time, experts thought stripes [music] might be a way for zebras to camouflage. You see, a wild zebra's main predator is the mighty lion, which just so happens to be colorblind. So, to a lion, a striped zebra blends in much better with tall grasses than a solid-colored horse.

[00:11:29]But today, most zoologists think [music] that a zebra's stripes have less to do with camouflage and more to do with regulating [music] their body temperature. Here's how.

[00:11:39]Scientists began noticing that zebras in hotter climates tended to have more stripes.

[00:11:45]Tests have [music] backed it up, too.

[00:11:47]The more stripes a zebra has, the hotter its environment. So, how does having stripes help keep them cool?

[00:11:55]Most experts say it's all about airflow.

[00:11:58]Black stripes absorb more [music] heat than white, so air moves faster along black stripes and slower along white ones. This causes air to swirl and cool the skin wherever the stripes touch. The more stripes [music] they have, the more air can swirl around and cool a zebra down.

[00:12:18]So, why do zebras have stripes? Because the Serengeti gets really, really hot, and zebras don't get to wear sunscreen.

[00:12:29]Who are the best dads in the animal kingdom?

[00:12:32]Maybe the most fun-loving animal dad is the red fox. They adore their babies and love nothing more than to play games and roughhouse with their young. But, it's not just fun and games that make the red fox a great dad. While the cubs are young, red fox fathers hunt for the pups and their mom every single day and bring back food right to the den. Talk about a special delivery. They do this for the first 3 months or so, at which point they suddenly stop feeding the poor little pups. It's all for a good reason, though. They use this as a way to coax the growing little foxes into leaving the den. But, don't worry. These awesome daddies have one more trick up their sleeves. They bury food in spots close to the den to help teach their pups how to find food. Another animal dad worth mentioning is the seahorse. And what makes them unique? Well, they're the ones who get pregnant. That's right.

[00:13:26]Male seahorses carry as many as a thousand babies at a time and even sport a big bulbous belly while pregnant.

[00:13:33]Sound familiar?

[00:13:35]Okay, so red foxes and seahorses are both pretty exceptional animal dads, but now it's time to crown the champion. The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be, the single best dad on the planet, the emperor penguin.

[00:13:51]What makes these plucky penguin parents so particularly paternal? It's all about their jaw-dropping endurance. You see, emperor penguins live and breed in Antarctica, at the bottom of the planet, which just so happens to be the coldest place on Earth. After a mother emperor penguin lays her egg, it's all up to the dad to keep the egg warm enough to hatch. Penguins don't lay tons of eggs like other birds, so the stakes couldn't be higher for these poor penguin dads.

[00:14:18]And as if that wasn't enough, the mom has to go on a 2-month-long fish-feeding frenzy while dad is left to balance the precious egg on their webbed feet in temperatures that regularly drop 70° below zero. They often have to huddle together with other dads with eggs in order to stay warm enough to help their eggs hatch. And to top it all off, emperor penguin dads are responsible for making sure their brand new babies get their first meal. They feed their babies a milky substance to keep them healthy until mom can return with a belly full to the brim with fish to share with the family. Now, those are some dedicated parents.

[00:14:57]Who are the absolute best moms in the animal kingdom?

[00:15:01]One of the most caring moms in the entire animal kingdom is the orangutan.

[00:15:06]The bond between a mother orangutan and her babies is one of the strongest in nature. They spend most of their lives up in high trees building brand new elaborate sleeping nests each and every night. And as if being the family carpenter wasn't hard enough, they do all this while never putting their babies down. That's right, for the first two years of life, a baby orangutan relies entirely on their mom for food and travel, and will nurse until age six or seven, the longest nursing period of any animal on Earth. Female orangutans tend to have an extra special connection with their moms, and are known to check in on their mothers until they are 15 or 16 years old. Orangutans are enough like humans that it's probably no surprise to find out they're loving and maternal, but there are some other great animal moms out there that you might not expect. Take the octopus, for example.

[00:16:02]After laying thousands and [music] thousands of eggs, an octopus mom's job is just getting started. These marine moms fan their eggs with special organs called siphons that keep them oxygenated and keep harmful parasites away. This takes a lot of effort, so while the eggs develop, an octopus mom won't leave or even hunt for food. All their time and effort goes to keeping their eggs safe.

[00:16:26]Given that polar bears are one of the biggest and baddest bears on the planet, you might be surprised to find out they're actually ultra-dedicated moms, too. First of all, a pregnant polar bear needs to pack on an extra 400 lb of baby weight. That means lots and lots and lots of eating. Once they're full to the brim, pregnant polar bears will dig a big den into heavy snowdrifts and hide from the elements in hibernation for two months, digesting all the food they eat.

[00:16:55]Polar bear cubs are born blind and toothless, so it's up to their moms to take care of the little critters for about two years until they learn to fend for themselves.

[00:17:04]Orangutans, octopi, and polar bears might be some of the best moms in the animal kingdom, but they're also not alone. Tons and tons of other animals all across the ecosystem do some truly amazing things for their offspring.