Whale babies avoid predators by 'whispering' to mothers, says study

PARIS - Newborn humpback whales and their mothers whisper to each other to escape potential predators, scientists reported on Wednesday, revealing the existence of a previously unknown survival technique.

"They don't want any unwanted listeners," said researcher Simone Videsen, lead author of a study published in Functional Ecology.

"Potential predators such as killer whales could listen to their conversations and use that as a cue to locate the calf and predate on it."