Humpback whale songs are culturally transmitted across ocean basins, demonstrating complex cultural lives that enrich individual whale welfare.
Humpback whales have rich cultural lives including song transmission that spans entire ocean basins. Ocean noise pollution from shipping, sonar, and industrial activity interferes with acoustic communication, potentially disrupting mate finding and social bonding. Individual whales exposed to chronic noise pollution may experience social isolation and reduced reproductive success that constitutes genuine welfare harm for cognitively complex animals.