http://songlinesofthewhales.org My Auntie is a whale we encountered for the first time during our 1994 research expedition. She is with young males and is demonstrating typical courting behavior. Tail slapping is a normal interaction between a female and the males accompanying her in what is known as a ‘competitive group’. We have documented the appearance of five of My Auntie’s calves since 1994. We suspected that she was about to conceive after this episode of courtship in 2001. She returned in 2002 and nudged her newborn calf delicately toward the research vessel. Females are larger and more powerful than males and seem to direct and organize the social structure within the population. SONGLINES documents the evolution of the intricate and beautiful East Australian Humpback song. An hour of pristine digital recordings selected from five different years between 1992 and 2008 which draw the listener into a mysterious and majestic world. Established in 1988, The Oceania Project is an independent, non-profit research organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and the oceans. Humpback whale songs are transferred from year to year and evolve in a similar fashion to the verbally transmitted tribal lore of Aboriginal cultures from where the term songlines is derived. The East Australian Humpback Whales travel in an unending cycle of migration between their birthplace in the inter-reef lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef and their Antarctic feeding areas. Their world is comprised of vast stretches of ocean where songs emitted by the Humpback Whales can be heard over great distances. Each year the whales sing a new song. Haunting melodies of radiant joy which fill the ocean along the East Coast of Australia. When ecosystems across the planet are collapsing and species are becoming extinct at an accelerating rate, the East Australian Humpback Whales are making a remarkable recovery. They have become Australia’s national treasure and a symbol of hope for our imperiled environment. We as the new generation of caretakers of the planet Earth have learnt from the mistakes of our elders and are helping nurture the Rebirth of a Species. Audio CD: 5 Tracks, running time 60 minutes. Track 3 features Migaloo the White Whale recorded in 1998. © The Oceania Project – All Rights Reserved —————————–

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