(Reuters) - Australian scientists are using military technology
for locating submarines to track rare blue whales hundreds of
kilometers away by eavesdropping on their distinctive songs.
Blue whales can communicate with each other over an entire ocean
basin by emitting low frequency sounds, or deep songs.
Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division started using
directional sonobuoys this year to detect whale sounds -- a big
improvement on the standard visual method of monitoring whales.
"Ultimately we're trying to get an abundance estimate for blue
whales. Over many years you start to build up re-site history
for them and from that you estimate total population size,"
Australian Antarctic Division scientist Mike Double told
Reuters. Over a 20-day period earlier this year, scientists
recorded 103 sightings of blue whales in an area of more than
10,000 sq km (3,861 square miles) by using the technology.
Double said despite growing up to 33 meters (108 feet) long,
blue whales are very difficult to find an