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Blue Whales Sing Near NYC Coast

Mating call heard just 70 miles from Long Island

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 29, 2009 2:13 AM CDT

(Newser) – Experts have detected singing blue whales closer to the New York City coast than the endangered behemoths have ever been heard before, the Ithaca Journal reports. One of the whales was picked up by Cornell University bioacoustics experts recording just 70 miles from the city’s coastline. Scientists plan to adjust their equipment to listen for more of the whales, which are the world’s largest animal.

"Blue whales were almost hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century, and the fact that now we’re finding them migrating not far off our shores is truly remarkable," notes a state official, who added that the discovery would help scientists better protect the animals from accidents with marine vessels and debris as they move through US waters.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

A blue whale spouting off Moresby Island, British Columbia, Canada. (AP Photo/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, John Calambokidis)

The tail fluke of a blue whale. (Shutterstock)

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This was a real treat. The largest animal on earth is just right there. You don't have to go to Africa, you don't have to go to Antarctica.
- Christopher Clark, director of the Cornell Bioacoustics Research Program

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Blue Whales Sing Near NYC Coast