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Sperm Whale Clicks Contain Vowel-Like Sounds, New Study Finds
The study analyzed 3,948 codas from 15 whales and found two formant-based sound types that follow structured patterns similar to human vowels.
- A study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences reveals that sperm whale click-based communication contains patterns echoing how human languages use vowels.
- Project CETI researchers analyzed 3,948 codas from 15 individuals, finding clicks are "more expressive and structured than previously believed" compared to earlier 2024 findings.
- The team identified two distinct coda categories—'a-codas' and 'i-codas'—based on different formant structures that behave like vowels by varying in length and interacting with neighboring sounds.
- Lead author Gaaper Begua, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley, emphasizes the findings constitute a "communication system" rather than human language, though meaning remains uncertain.
- This discovery brings scientists a step closer to decoding whale communication, potentially revealing whether language is unique to humans and how it evolved across species.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Sperm Whales Use Communication Rules Similar to Human Speech
Sperm whales who excrete ‘floating gold’ or ambergris. Credit: Gabriel Barathieu / CC BY-SA 2.0 Scientists have long known that sperm whales use powerful clicking sounds to communicate using rules similar to those in human speech. To human ears, these clicks often sound like simple, repetitive taps. The study was led by researchers at Project CETI and published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. It provides fresh evidenc…
Scientists Found Human Speech-Like Patterns in Sperm Whale Clicks
The staccato clicks of sperm whales may sound like meaningless background noise to human ears, but a new analysis suggests they may be part of a communication system with a level of complexity approaching that of our own. According to researchers with Project CETI, a US non-profit working to understand sperm whales, the clicks known as "codas" are more complex than a 2024 study indicated. That earlier work found the sounds had an acoustic resemb…
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