Whales communicate with each other by singing complex songs made up of a variety of whistles, clicks, low and high-pitched moans, grunts and groans. Some of these sounds are too high or too low-pitched for us to hear, but the noise travels long distances under water. Raising young A Baleen whale baby is born 11 months after mating. Some toothed whales have longer pregnancies. Whales only have one baby at a time and the baby is born tail first and is fully developed.
Most whales nurse their young ones for about six-seven months.
Conservation Concern Whales have been hunted for centuries for their blubber, oils, meat and baleen. Overhunting in the past has brought seven of the eleven great whale species near extinction. Even though most commercial whaling stopped thirty years ago, most of these species have not recovered to their original numbers. The northern right whale shows no recovery at all and is the most endangered large whale. There may be as few as 500 blue whales left in the southern hemisphere.