New Books Network Eduardo Mercado III, "Why Whales Sing" (JHU Press, 2025)
Nov 11, 2025
Eduardo Mercado III, a bioacoustician and cognitive scientist, captivates with his insights on why whales sing. He proposes a revolutionary theory suggesting that humpback whales may not be singing to attract mates, but utilizing sonar-like echolocation to perceive their underwater environment. Mercado shares his journey from electrical engineering to studying whale acoustics, and delves into how this vocal behavior helps whales maintain social connections over vast distances. He challenges long-held beliefs and highlights the implications for understanding whale communication.
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From Reluctant Coder To Whale Researcher
- Mercado recounts joining humpback song analysis reluctantly after being recruited to code recordings.
- He initially thought large whales were uninteresting but later became captivated by their sounds.
Songs As Long-Range Biosonar
- Mercado proposes humpback songs function as long-range biosonar, not primarily sexual displays.
- He argues song variability and long-range propagation fit sonar better than stable mating signals.
Variability Undermines Long-Distance Displays
- Mercado highlights that humpbacks constantly alter sounds, which undermines stable long-range signaling.
- He says variable signals would garble messages at miles' distances, favoring a sonar interpretation.
