Sounds of the Deep (audio download)

An exploration of life in our seas

Embark upon an underwater adventure with these fascinating wildlife recordings from the British Library Sound Archive. Experience the haunting song of the Humpback Whale as it travels through winter breeding grounds in search of a mate, and marvel at the humming courtship calls of the male Haddock. Encounter Dusky Dolphins in the Pacific, Harp Seals in the Arctic and a host of other species including the lovable Bottlenose Dolphin and the mighty Blue Whale.

From the icy waters of the Antarctic to the tropical seas of the Caribbean, 'Sounds of the Deep' takes you on a journey through the oceans and introduces a fascinating collection of sounds from the marine world.

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Walrus
Humpback Whale

Track listing:
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

1:50 `Humming` calls of a spawning male fish courting a female
Aberdeen, Scotland, April 1967 Professor A. D. Hawkins

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

2:59 `Metallic` bell-like calls from an animal rising from the depths
Charles Island, Canada, April 1983 Hugh Miles

Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx)

0:46 High and low warbling calls
Gerlache Strait, Antarctica, November 1976 Dr Ian Stirling

Harp Seal (Phoca groenlandica)

10:3 Croaks, grunts and barking from a group of animals
Alaska, 1997 The International Fund for Animal Welfare

Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddelli)

3:00 Variety of calls
Antarctica, 1994 Dr Ian Stirling

Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)

4:00 Slow `descending` calls
Griffith Island, Canada, June 1981 Dr Ian Stirling

Crabeater Seal (Lobodon carcinophagus)

0:19 Low frequency buzz
Gerlache Strait, Antarctica, November 1976 Dr Ian Stirling

Dusky Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)
3:26 Echolocation clicks, ?whistling? calls and buzzes
New Zealand, 1992 The International Fund for Animal Welfare

Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

11:24 Variety of call types produced during a group dive
Milford Sound, New Zealand, August 2001 Dr Oliver Boisseau

Fraser`s Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)

3:36 Echolocation clicks and whistles
Caribbean Sea, January 1995 The International Fund for Animal Welfare

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis)

4:36 Intensive echolocation clicks, whistles and buzzes
North Atlantic Ocean, August 1991 The International Fund for Animal Welfare

Pilot Whale (Globicephala sp.)

1:08 rapid clicks and calls
2:07 slower clicks and calls
Azores, Atlantic Ocean 1989 The International Fund for Animal Welfare

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

3:00 Clicks and codas
Azores, Atlantic Ocean, August 1993 Dr John Cunningham

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

1:12 Low frequency call (very low-pitched, inaudible except on the best loudspeakers)
0:40 The same recording speeded up, revealing the structure of these calls
West Antarctic Peninsula, February 2002 Mark McDonald

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

11:00 continuous melodic song of a lone male
Caribbean Sea, March 2000 The International Fund for Animal Welfare