Sperm whales are highly social creatures that roam the world’s oceans together, diving deep in search of giant squid, their favorite food.
As they swim and hunt, these massive marine mammals communicate by making a series of rapid clicks that sound like a combination of “Morse code and popcorn popping,” writes NPR’s Lauren Sommer.
Now, with help from artificial intelligence, scientists are starting to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the sperm whale communication system. They found a plethora of sounds they’ve termed a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet,” raising the possibility that the mammals have their own language, just like humans.
Researchers described their findings Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
The new paper is the result of a collaborative research effort called Project CETI, which stands for “Cetacean Translation Initiative.” With the initiative, researchers were curious to know if advancements in machine learning and computing could help make sense of whale vocalizations.
Scientists recorded a clan of 400 sperm whales in the Eastern Caribbean between 2005 and 2018, and they estimate at least 60 individuals ended up on the recordings. Using advanced computer algorithms, they detected patterns in the sounds—suggesting sperm whale communication may be more complex than previously assumed.
Sperm whales rattle off a series of rapid-fire clicks that researchers have named “codas.” Each coda consists of between three and 40 clicks. In addition to changing the number of clicks they make in quick succession, whales often speed up or slow down the tempo of each coda—researchers call this “rubato.” Sometimes, they add an extra “click” at the end of a coda, which scientists call “ornamentation.”
