What Counts as Evidence For or Against Vocal Culture in Humpback Whales?

Abstract

The debate concerning the mechanisms that drive population-level song evolution in humpback whales rests on evidence that social learning mechanisms contribute to variations in song elements. In the following dialogue, Eduardo Mercado addresses points raised in support of claims that song evolution in humpbacks arises from social learning, and Heidi Lyn further challenges the idea that recent evidence argues against this interpretation.

Keywords

• communication
• cetacean
• baleen whale
• cultural transmission
• bioacoustics