Whales Are Speaking Secret Language Using ‘Click Alphabet’ in World’s First Discovery for Non-Human Communication

SCIENTISTS have possibly identified the first species other than humans to use unique sounds as building blocks for complex communications.

Considered highly social animals, whales are known for communicating with each other by producing different combinations of clicks.

5

5

5

Researchers recently compared the phenomena – observed in sperm whales in the Caribbean – to the way people use a certain number of sounds (represented by letters) to compose words into an endless combination of sentences.

Scientists shared their fascinating discoveries in a paper published by CETI Projecta non-profit conservation and research organization.

“Sperm whale vocalizations are more expressive and structured than previously believed,” lead researcher Pratyusha Sharma of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote in the paper.

“Our findings open the possibility that sperm whale communication could provide our first example of this phenomenon in another species,” they said.

The discovery came about thanks to an analysis of sperm whale vocalizations from around 60 animals that were recorded between 2005 and 2018.

The researchers examined the whale sounds for similarities and patterns and ultimately found several 2-second-long repeating “codas” – the basic units of speech.

They found thousands of examples of unique sets of codas, or what could be considered words in human communication.

The scientists noticed that the sets of sounds used by the sperm whales in the study varied depending on the context.

Cetaceans also sometimes changed the rhythm and tempo of sounds, they said.

Such patterns and repetitions have never been witnessed outside of humans, Sharma and his colleagues said.

“Sizable combinatorial vocalization systems are extremely rare in nature; however, use by sperm whales shows that they are not uniquely human and can arise from dramatically different physiological, ecological and social pressures,” the paper stated.

MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED

But researchers were careful not to label the discovery as whales using language as we know it yet.

The findings offer “steps to understand how sperm whales convey meaning,” they wrote.

The closest other example of human combinatorial communication abilities in the animal kingdom comes from insects.

However, bees use movement rather than sound to communicate.

They have been observed using different dance steps to convey complex meanings about the location of food, for example.

For now, CETI researchers said their study was intended to serve as a starting point for further research.

They analyzed sounds and codas, not “semantics” — or the cetacean communication system that can turn whale “words” into “sentences,” they said.

The researchers added that they hope their study will lead to “future research” that includes “interactive playback experiences with whales in the wild.”

“It is necessary to have a deep understanding of the structure of the communication system” before drawing major conclusions about this fundamental investigation, they wrote.

Still, these limitations do not undermine the discovery.

“Our findings open the possibility that sperm whale communication could provide our first example of this phenomenon in another species,” the researchers wrote in conclusion.

5