A recent study led by scientists from Australia’s New Curtin University shows that the world’s smallest type of killer whale has a surprisingly complex musical repertoire. Recordings of the Ross Sea killer whales that live in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, show that they have 28 different complex calls made up of a combination of burst-pulse sounds and whistles.

Whether called killer whales, orcas, or grampuses, the toothed whales Orcinus orca are all a single species. However, just as dogs come in different breeds, killer whales come in different types that not only live in different areas, but also have different diets, habits, and songs.

“In Antarctic waters, there are five different types of killer whales, with Type C being the smallest, growing up to 6.1 meters (20 ft) in comparison to Type A males who can grow up to almost 10 meters (33 ft) long,” says Wellard.

The songs made by the killer whale generally consist of clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls that are used for navigation, identifying prey, and socializing. Some types, like those that hunt marine mammals, are relatively silent because their prey can hear the whales’ songs, but the Ross Sea killer whales, which live on codfish, are very vocal – especially when hunting under the ice of socializing on the surface.

https://newatlas.com/science/smallest-killer-whale-large-musical-repertoire/