World's loneliest whale, 52 hertz, finally finds a friend? Studies say this unique whale might have a companion!

Deep in the ocean's vast silence, whales communicate through haunting calls that travel miles underwater. But imagining a whale singing can look like a scene from an animated movie.

This is indeed a reality, as one whale's voice stands out in the form of a high-pitched song at 52 hertz, way above the norm for its kind.

Discovered decades ago, it has also inspired tales of isolation, songs, documentaries, and endless wonder.

But is this whale truly alone, belting out notes no one answers? Or does the sea hold secrets we can't yet hear?

Meet the whale inspiration behind songs and documentaries

Back in 1989, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution picked up an odd whale call while scanning the Pacific.

Clocking in at 52 hertz, it was much higher than typical blue whale songs, which range from 10 to 39 Hz with dominant tones of 16 to 28 Hz, according to Cornell University's Bioacoustics Research Program. The whale's path echoed blue whales, but its voice didn't match.

"This sound source has been the only one with this call structure in the entire listening area," Woods Hole noted in a 2000 report. "We have been tracking this call since 1992 and have not identified the whale species," they added, suggesting "perhaps it is a hybrid." Tracked for years, the whale keeps singing strong, showing its uniqueness hasn't hurt survival.

The ‘world’s loneliest whale’ has a companion

Lately, social media posts claim the "world's loneliest whale" found a friend at 52 hertz. However, no fresh proof backs this. It likely relates to 2010 detections off California, where distant sensors caught similar patterns, hinting at multiples, but nothing solid followed in the next 12+ years.

The story went viral online, spawning a Twitter parody and BTS's "Whalien 52."

Not so lonely after all?

Experts say the whale might not be as isolated as thought. Christopher Clark, Cornell's Bioacoustics Research Program director, explains other blue whales could understand it. "The animal's singing with a lot of the same features of a typical blue whale song," Clark said in 2015 NPR interview. "Blue whales, fin whales, and humpback whales: all these whales can hear this guy, they're not deaf. He's just odd." Dialects vary by region, so it's quirky, not alien.

The whale inspires a documentary
The 2021 film The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 by Joshua Zeman chased the legend. Told the whale was likely dead after years of silence, his team heard the call anew off Los Angeles.