'Shazam for whales' uses AI to track sounds heard in Mariana Trench

A mysterious sound emitted from the deepest part of the ocean has finally been identified as a Bryde's whale. Now, artificial intelligence is helping researchers track the elusive whale species responsible for the call. The puzzle began in 2014 when researchers recorded a sound resembling a moan followed by metallic sweeping pings over the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. "Your average person would not think that it was made by an animal – they would think it was some ship or the Navy," says Ann Allen at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Years later, additional recordings of the sound, which researchers call a biotwang, were eventually linked to sightings of Bryde's whales (Balaenoptera brydei) near the Mariana Islands.