A sperm whale swims off the coast of Dominica in March 2024. In a study published Tuesday, May 7, in the journal Nature Communications, scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island have described for the first time the basic elements of how they might be talking to each other, in an effort that could one day help us to better protect them. (Samuel Lam via AP)
May 7, 2024
Stories this photo appears in:
May 7, 2024 5:20 p.m.
Scientists are learning the basic building blocks of sperm whale language after years of effort
In a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers analyzed more than 8,700 snippets of sperm whale clicks, known as codas. They say they have found four basic components they think make up this phonetic alphabet.