the male whale is known to sing for up to 22 hours at a time. because whales do not have vocal cords, they make songs by forcing air through their nasal passages. every male has a different song. we don't yet know why they sing, it might be to call a female or scare away other males. the songs are made up of a pattern of low notes repeated over a period of hours or days. the whales slowly change their songs over a period of years.