TPO 56

Both the article and the lecture talk about a whale called 52-hertz whale, which has a high-pitched song that has not been seen in any other whales. The passage proposes three theories for this phenomenon. On the other hand, the professor claims that those theories have flaws and opposes each one.

First, the passage claims that 52-hertz whale is a hybrid, the offspring of two different species of whale, and this is the reason for this unique song. Nevertheless, the professor denies this idea and explains that hybrid whales migrate with other non-hybrid species together in the same pattern. She states that from the location of the detected songs of the 52-hertz whale, they know that migration patterns of this creature are unusual, and it migrates alone.

Second, the reading suggests that the 52-hertz whale is deaf, which is why its songs are different. Nonetheless, the lecturer rejects this view and illustrates that this theory does not explain the high-pitched song. She mentions that this vocal sound comes from the whale's throat, and it is because it has a specific throat structure. There is no connection between the damaged hearing and this throat structure.

Finally, the author states that the 52-hertz whale is a rare species, and most of its relatives have died. However, the speaker refutes it, saying that at least they had to find its parents with the same song frequency. She says that the technology has been used for many decades, and if they were more, scientists would hear and find some of the others.