Q&A with Dr. Manuel Castellote: Listening to Whales
Dr. Manuel Castellote shares his story and experiences studying and listening to whales.
Ever since my childhood growing up in Spain, I’ve been interested in animals. Once a chair went missing in our house, and my parents found it on the roof because I had been sitting up there, observing cats moving across the houses.
He became especially interested in how animals live in the mysterious ocean environment, leading him to study marine biology and eventually bioacoustics — the study of animal sounds. He was drawn to whales and dolphins due to their curiosity.
Dr. Castellote explains that while humans use their eyes to observe the world, marine mammals rely on sound, as underwater visibility is often limited. He notes that sound travels more easily and farther in water because it is denser than air.
We humans use our eyes to scope out the world around us. For marine mammals, the dominant sense is sound... Because water is denser than air, sound travels more easily and farther in water.
Author's summary: Dr. Manuel Castellote discusses his fascination with whales and bioacoustics.