Tower and Town, December 2022

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Why Do Whales Sing?

Year 4 children have been engaged by their fiction book, Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo, to create descriptions of one of the main characters, Birdman. They were so inspired by the whales in the story that they wrote some non-fiction writing about why they sing.

Underwater, it is very hard to see because light does not travel very far through water. Odours are hard to smell underwater and so whales communicate using sound. It is very important that they use sound because, as they can’t see, they rely on their hearing. You may think all whales sing but not all of them do. Only a group of whales called Baleen whales sing. Baleen whales also have hairs in their mouths that help them to eat their food. The types of whales that sing are Minke Whales, Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales and Bowhead Whales. Toothed whales don’t sing but instead they communicate using types of short sounds. These whales are animals that hunt for their prey in groups and use their teeth to kill their prey. The sounds they use to communicate are clicks, whistles, groans and trills.

Scientists think they have some evidence that explains why whales sing. Scientists think it may be fun for whales or they might sing to mark their territory or to attract females and communicate with their young.

Imogen Smith (Yr 4)