In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists have finally begun to decipher the cryptic language of sperm whales. These highly social mammals use a complex system of clicks to communicate with each other, and researchers at Dominica’s University of New York have analyzed more than 8,700 fragments of these clicks to uncover their basic building blocks.
The researchers believe that these sounds form a phonetic alphabet that whales can use to construct the rough equivalent of human words and phrases. The four basic elements identified by lead researcher Pratyusha Sharma could be used in an unlimited number of combinations, giving sperm whales access to a vast communication system similar to a big dictionary.
Sperm whales are known for their large brains and complex social structures, living in matriarchal groups of about 10 individuals and sometimes encountering hundreds or thousands of other whales. They are also exceptional divers, capable of diving almost a thousand meters deep to hunt squid. Despite their size and strength, sperm whales are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to centuries-long hunting for their oil-rich heads and ongoing recovery efforts.
To gather enough examples of sperm whale clicks in Dominica’s resident population, scientists created an underwater recording studio with microphones at different depths. Tags on these cetaceans also recorded information such as position when they clicked, whether they were diving, sleeping or breathing at the surface and whether there were nearby individuals they might be communicating with. This research has been hailed as extraordinary by many experts who see vast implications for our understanding of ocean giants.
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