--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Biologists have long speculated about the…" description: "\"“Biologists have long speculated about the reasons that animals in general, and marine animals in particular, make noise. One is communication; whales ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/robert-j-urick-138627_bioacoustics_biologists-have-long-speculated-about-th_2179648.jpg" --- # Biologists have long speculated about the reasons that… ![“Biologists have long speculated about the reasons that animals in general, and marine animals in particular, make noise. One is communication; whales are said to communicate between members of a school. Another is defense, attempting to scare away attackers. Another is location, as in the…” quote by Robert J. Urick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/robert-j-urick-138627_bioacoustics_biologists-have-long-speculated-about-th_2179648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/robert-j-urick-138627_bioacoustics_biologists-have-long-speculated-about-th_2179648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/robert-j-urick-138627_bioacoustics_biologists-have-long-speculated-about-th_2179648.jpg) > ““Biologists have long speculated about the reasons that animals in general, and marine animals in particular, make noise. One is communication; whales are said to communicate between members of a school. Another is defense, attempting to scare away attackers. Another is location, as in the echo-ranging of porpoises. Another is sexual attraction; most fish are noisy only within a male sex. A final reason must be that it must be pleasurable for a marine animal to make noise, just as in the humming of a tune by a human being.”” [Robert J. Urick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-urick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marine animals produce noise for communication, defense, navigation, attraction, and pleasure, reflecting diverse functional purposes. **In simple terms:** Animals make sounds for many reasons, including communication and pleasure. Key Takeaway Consider multiple functional motives behind animal vocalizations. Themes biology communication defense navigation sexual behavior pleasure Mood informative curious scientific Type Whale:1 Marine Animals:1 Communication Whales:1 Fish Noisy:0 Reasons Animals:1 Porpoises Sexual:0 When to use this quote - marine research - conservation - education - technology development Key Concepts ethology acoustic signaling evolutionary biology animal behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does noise pollution affect marine communication? - What role does pleasure play in animal vocalizations? A Different Perspective Noise may also cause ecological disturbance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication Whales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication-whales-4702819/) [Fish Noisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish-noisy-4702820/) [Marine Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine-animals-2761386/) [Porpoises Sexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/porpoises-sexual-4702822/) [Reasons Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-animals-4702821/) [Whale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whale/) ## Related quotes > [Confining marine animals to tanks and separating them from their families and their natural surroundings, just so people can watch them swim in endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/confining-marine-animals-to-tanks-and-separating-them-from-their/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [If we stop dragging trawls and dredges through it, the life of the seas would recover with astonishing speed. 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For all we know, whales sing in three act plays—but they can't write them down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronwen-wallace/it-s-all-in-the-opposition-of-the-thumbs-for-all-we-know-whales-sing/) [Bronwen Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronwen-wallace/) > [“Whale oil beef hooked,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/whale-oil-beef-hooked/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [Must whales and dolphins be subjected to deafening noise that will cause more than 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss? 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