Ten years ago scientists detected odd and mysterious noises coming from inside the planet’s deepest ocean trench, the Mariana Trench. The sounds were identified as “biotwangs” and were comprised of deep moaning or grumbling noises followed by a series of high-pitched metallic-sounding pings. Despite the almost mechanical nature of the sound, scientists were certain that it must be the call of some species of animal (most likely a large whale). That theory has now been confirmed.
With the help of an artificial intelligence identification system developed by Google, experts affiliated with the United States government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have discovered that the strange sounds were made by Bryde’s whales. This species of baleen whale is seldom spotted in the wild, but these gigantic creatures (they can grow to up to 55 feet or 17 meters long) possess the ability to swim to extreme depths.
Artificial Intelligence Reveals the Secret Lives of Bryde’s Whales
The odd biotwangs were …