Marine life scientists have long been occupied with understanding how whales communicate, and the methods they use may be more complex than previously thought. A new study has revealed similarities between whale language and human phonetics after examining a group of sperm whales in the waters surrounding Dominica in the Caribbean and analyzing their calls.
In a study published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers explained that sperm whales, which have the largest brains of any animal species on Earth, can combine and modify different clicks and rhythms to create complex calls reminiscent of human language, according to a report by ABC News.
Expressive and Organized Sounds
The research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which conducted the study, confirmed that the symbols of sperm whale calls exhibit deeper complexities beyond just the identity of the caller; however, the specific information conveyed by the calls remains undefined. The authors noted that sperm whale sounds are more expressive and organized than previously thought and are constructed from a range that includes almost distinct symbols regarding their size.
By analyzing the 'CODAS' (Coda) of about 60 sperm whales, researchers identified the fundamental elements of the "acoustic alphabet" that they believe sperm whales use for communication. They analyzed a dataset comprising 8,719 CODAS, explaining that each symbol consists of groups of clicks that typically last less than two seconds.
Conversations Similar to Human Dialogues
The interactive "CODA" sequences led researchers to believe that sperm whales were engaged in a dialogue comparable to human conversation or Morse code. The authors explained that sperm whale sounds exhibit complexity on two different time scales: a precise time scale that defines the composition of each individual segment, and a longer time scale that determines the overall structure of the interactive exchange through the CODAS within the group.
While the communicative function of many CODAS remains an open question, the study's results suggest that the communication system of sperm whales is capable, in principle, of representing a vast array of potential meanings, using mechanisms similar to those used in human sound production and representation systems.
It is worth noting that sperm whales are known for diving to great depths, typically reaching 1,150 feet and staying underwater for an hour or more before resurfacing for about ten minutes to breathe, according to Britannica. They also rank among the largest toothed whales and have one of the widest distributions of any marine mammal species, as noted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which indicates that they are present in all deep oceans around the world.
