Male humpback whales sing to each other, and when they do - over the course of a season - a favourite “hit song” emerges. Each whale passes it along, until all the humpback males in the Southern Ocean sing it. 

But humpback whales aren’t just amazing creatures, capable of tenderness, and rivalries. They’ve also managed one of Australia’s great comebacks - they numbered less than 100 on the east coast in the 1960s, and now there’s about 40,000 of them.

Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons on why they’re thriving, while other whales are critically endangered. And whether new information about threats to whales might inform the government’s environmental policies.

Credit:
David Attenborough/Netflix 'Our Planet' 

Male humpback whales sing to each other, and when they do - over the course of a season - a favourite &ldquo;hit song&rdquo; emerges. Each whale passes it along, until all the humpback males in the Southern Ocean sing it.&nbsp;
But humpback whales aren&rsquo;t just amazing creatures, capable of tenderness, and rivalries. They&rsquo;ve also managed one of Australia&rsquo;s great comebacks - they numbered less than 100 on the east coast in the 1960s, and now there&rsquo;s about 40,000 of them.
Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons on why they&rsquo;re thriving, while other whales are critically endangered. And whether new information about threats to whales might inform the government&rsquo;s environmental policies. Credit: David Attenborough/Netflix '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glxULceEEjA&amp;t=5s">Our Planet</a>'&nbsp;

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

Why the humpback whale is an Australian success story 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/c44b0a80-d5b3-4c1c-9b57-b2f4005989aa/transcript