AUDIO: Humpback whales captured singing off New York

Scientists have released recordings of singing humpback whales off the coast of New York.

Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Cornell University, Columbia University, and Syracuse University captured the sounds using underwater recording equipment placed on the seafloor about 70 miles south of Long Island in an area of the ocean called New York Bight.

The songs were actually recorded during an earlier study but only recently analyzed for sounds from humpbacks.

Only males produce songs during the annual breeding season. Males, females, sub-adults, and calves make calls at other times.

The authors say that acoustic recorders provide the opportunity to detect vocalizing whales year-round and complement visual surveys during months when humpback whales are frequently seen feeding off New York and New Jersey.