🐳 Researchers begin to understand the basics of sperm whale language

🐳 Researchers begin to understand the basics of sperm whale language

Scientists have identified the fundamental components of sperm whale communication. Through the analysis of over 8,700 clips of sperm whale clicks, a complex communication system resembling a phonetic alphabet has been revealed.

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  • Scientists have identified the fundamental components of sperm whale communication.
  • Through the analysis of over 8,700 clips of sperm whale clicks, a complex communication system resembling a phonetic alphabet has been revealed.

Discovery of whale communication elements

Researchers studying sperm whales around the Caribbean island of Dominica have, for the first time, described the basic elements of how these whales can speak to each other, reports AP.
Sperm whales are highly social mammals that communicate by pushing air through their respiratory systems to create rapid clicking sounds, which can sound like a very loud zipper underwater. These clicks are also used as a form of echolocation to help them track their prey.

In the study, researchers analyzed more than 8,700 clips of sperm whale clicks, known as codas. They believe they have found four basic components that they think make up this phonetic alphabet.

Pratyusha Sharma, the lead researcher for the study and an expert in artificial intelligence and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, mentioned that this alphabet could then be used by the whales in a large number of combinations.

Scientific and conservation implications

David Gruber, founder and president of the Cetacean Translation Initiative (CETI) and a biology professor at the City University of New York, says that sperm whales appear to have sophisticated social bonds and that deciphering their communication system could reveal parallels with human language and society.

Jeremy Goldbogen, an associate professor at Stanford University, described the new research as "extraordinary" and said it has "huge implications for how we understand the giants of the sea." He emphasized that if we can one day understand what sperm whales are saying, this knowledge should be used for conservation purposes, such as minimizing the risk of whales being struck by ships or reducing noise levels in the ocean.

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