Growing population makes humpback whales wail less

The humpback whale population, which was under threat of extinction in the 1960s, has significantly increased over the years but their wailing, songs to find mates, have reduced.

Biologists who record their elaborate wailing sounds say only 1 in 10 humpback whales sing now.

When their population was low, humpback whales wailed to attract female whales—in the hope they would be picked over other males.

The end of commercial whaling has grown the humpback population from 200 in the 1960s to more than 27,000 in 2015.