“Biotwang” mysterious sound in the Mariana Trench

Scientists made audio recordings using autonomous gliders east of Guam in an area that included the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. One complex call caught their attention and was named Western Pacific “Biotwang” because of its unusual synthetic sound. Researchers believe the sound is biological and produced by a baleen whale. “Biotwang” most resembles the minke whale “Star Wars” call. Credits: A complex baleen whale call recorded in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument Sharon L. Nieukirk, Selene Fregosi, David K. Mellinger, and Holger Klinck The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, DOI: 10.1121/1.4962377 Minke whale call courtesy of Jason Gedamke Dwarf minke whale photo courtesy of The Australian/Oregon State University