Scientists may have captured the song of a new species of whale living in the Antarctic . The song can ’ t be identified and doesn ’ t fit the pattern of noise generated by the few known species of beaked whale , raising hopes that it could be coming from a completely new species . While beaked whales make up the second largest family of cetaceans , relatively little is known about them , mainly because they spend very little time on the water ’ s surface . Experts are sure the noise isn ’ t made by Arnoux 's beaked whales or Cuvier 's beaked whales ( stock image ) , because the signal doesn ’ t match . There are 22 species of beaked whale and all of them are elusive deep divers , meaning that they are most often identified by their songs , which they use to navigate . The mysterious ‘ Antarctic BW29 signal was recorded near the Orkney Islands , South Shetland Islands , and Antarctic Peninsula by scientists led by Jennifer Trickey of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography , at the University of California , in La Jolla , California . They have recorded the noise more than 1,000 times to conclude that it ’ s unique in the composition of sounds making the signal and in timing , BBC Earth reported . ‘ Given that new species of beaked whale are still being discovered , the source of these Antarctic signals might be a species that has yet to be identified , ’ the study says . But the song belong to a strap-toothed whale , a southern bottlenosed whale or a Gray ’ s beaked whale ( pictured ) , according to the study , despite the sound being the wrong frequency for a Gray ’ s beaked whale . Whale sounds are used by whales for different kinds of communication . The word 'song ' is used to describe the pattern of regular and predictable sounds made by some species of whales . Only males 'sing ' . While the complex sounds of the humpback whale and some blue whales are believed to be primarily used in sexual selection , all whales use simpler sounds all year round to communicate . Whales occupying the same geographical areas , which can be vast , tend to sing similar songs with only small variations . Male humpback whales have been described as 'inveterate composers ' of songs and experts have said that their songs are similar to human music in many ways . Experts are sure the noise isn ’ t made by Arnoux 's beaked whales or Cuvier 's beaked whales , because the signal doesn ’ t match their songs . But it could belong to a strap-toothed whale , a southern bottlenosed whale or a Gray ’ s beaked whale , according to the study , published in the Journal of Marine Mammal Science . It is very rare for strap-toothed wakes to be sighted as far south as the noises have been heard , while the noise is the wrong frequency for a Gray ’ s beaked whale , leaving the southern bottlenosed whale as the most likely match . But again there ’ s a problem , because the whale ’ s relative , the northern bottlenose whale , makes very different calls , leading experts to think that the southern species probably vocalises in a similar way – unlike the Antarctic BW29 signal . Experts have also recorded an ‘ Antarctic BW37 ’ signal on six occasions , which is of a higher frequency . ‘ It remains unknown whether this belongs to a different beaked whale species than the one producing Antarctic BW29 , ’ they write . Because frequency is usually linked to a whale ’ s size , there is a theory that the Antarctic BW29 song may be made by a southern bottlenose whale , while the higher pitched Antarctic BW37 song could be made by a smaller Gray ’ s beaked whale . There ’ s also a chance that new species of whale could sing at different frequencies , but this ability would be unique among beaked whale species . Last year , a study revealed that the shy Cuvier 's beaked whale performs the deepest dives made by any mammal on the planet at 9,816ft ( 2,992metres ) below the waves - the equivalent of just under seven Empire State Buildings - and stays below for 138 minutes . A study published last April has revealed that the shy Cuvier ’ s beaked whale performs the deepest dives made by any mammal on the planet . Scientists were surprised to record one of the mammal 's dives , which was 9,816ft ( 2,992 metres ) below the waves . And the whale stayed up to two miles below - around the depth of just under seven Empire State Buildings on top of one another - for 138 minutes . The New York landmark measures 1,250ft ( 381 metres ) in height , excluding its tip . It is the first time that the diving behaviour of the species has been carefully examined and scientists are particularly interested in them because of the suspected effects of sonar - a system using transmitted and reflected underwater sound waves to detect and locate submerged objects . Marine mammal biologists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla , California , tagged eight of the whales off San Nicholas Island in southern California and followed them for several months as they dived for food .
Antarctic whales does n't fit the pattern of noise made by beaked whales . Antarctic whales are elusive deep divers about which little is known . Sound could arrive at a new species or could be made by a southern bottlenosed whale , although some have their reservations .