52-hertz whale

A spectrogram of the 52-hertz signal

The 52-hertz whale, colloquially referred to as 52 Blue, is an individual whale of unidentified species that calls at the unusual frequency of 52 hertz. This pitch is at a higher frequency than that of the other whale species with migration patterns most closely resembling the 52-hertz whale's[1] – the blue whale (10 to 39 Hz)[2] and the fin whale (20 Hz).[1] Its call has been detected regularly in many locations since the late 1980s and appears to be the only individual emitting a whale call at this frequency. However, the whale itself has never been sighted; it has only been heard via hydrophones. It has been described as the "world's loneliest whale", though potential recordings of a second 52-hertz whale, heard elsewhere at the same time, have been sporadically found since 2010.[3][4]

52 Hz is equivalent to the musical note G#1, which is the 12th lowest key on a conventional 88-key piano keyboard; or, the 4th finger position on the lowest string (E1) of a double bass.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference newsci was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cornell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Fessenden, Marissa (15 April 2015). "Maybe the World's Loneliest Whale Isn't So Isolated, After All". Smithsonian magazine. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference whoitrack was invoked but never defined (see the help page).