Whale songs: windows into what they sense and feel

Psychology Today features Eduardo Mercado in an interview about his new book, “Why Whales Sing,” and how his research challenges our current understanding of how whales think and perceive emotions. “The scientific consensus is that whale songs are a display behavior that male whales use to increase their mating opportunities,” Mercado explained. “Whale researchers argue about whether the males sing to seduce females or to ward off potential competitors (or both), but they all agree that whales are singing songs and that males sing to show off their vocal skills.”