A complex baleen whale call recorded in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument

Abstract

In fall 2014 and spring 2015, passive acoustic data were collected via autonomous gliders east of Guam in an area that included the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. A short (2–4 s), complex sound was recorded that features a ∼38 Hz moan with both harmonics and amplitude modulation, followed by broad-frequency metallic-sounding sweeps up to 7.5 kHz. This sound was recorded regularly during both fall and spring surveys. Aurally, the sound is quite unusual and most resembles the minke whale “Star Wars” call. It is likely this sound is biological and produced by a baleen whale.