The whales In the world’s first discovery of non-human communication, speak a secret language using the “click alphabet,” he writes British newspaper THE SUN.
Scientists may have identified the first species other than humans to use unique sounds as building blocks for complex communication.
Considered to be very social animals, whales are known to communicate with each other by creating various click formations.
The researchers compared the recently observed phenomena sperm whales In the Caribbean – with how people use a certain number of sounds (represented by letters) to make words into infinite sentence combinations.
Scientists shared their interesting findings in a published article Project CETIis a non-profit conservation and research organization.
“Sperm whale vocalizations are more expressive and structured than previously thought,” wrote the lead researcher. Pratyusha Sharma from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“Our findings raise the possibility that sperm whale communication may provide the first example of this phenomenon in another species,” he said.
The discovery came about thanks to the analysis of whale sounds 60 animals It was recorded between 2005 and 2018.
The researchers examined whale sounds to look for similarities patterns and finally they found many repeating 2-second “codas” – the basic units of speech.
They found thousands of unique sets of codes, or patterns in human communication that can be counted as words.
Scientists in the study noted that the vocal sets used by sperm whales vary depending on the context.
They said that cetaceans also sometimes change the rhythm and tempo of their sounds.
Such patterns and repetitions have never been seen outside of humans, Sharma and his colleagues said.
But the researchers were careful not to label their discovery as whales still using language, at least as we know it.
The findings offer “steps toward understanding how whales make meaning,” they said.
The other closest example of human associative communication skills in the animal kingdom comes from insects.
However, bees they use movement instead of sound to communicate.
For example, they have been observed using different dance steps to convey complex meanings about where food is.
For now, CETI researchers say their research will serve as a springboard for more research.
They analyzed sounds and codes, not “semantics”—or the cetacean communication system that can synthesize whale “words” into “sentences.”
The researchers added that their research will lead to “future research” involving “interactive breeding experiments with whales in the wild.”
They wrote that “a deeper understanding of the structure of the communication system is needed” before drawing broader conclusions about this fundamental research.
But these limitations do not diminish discovery.
“Our findings raise the possibility that sperm whale communication may provide the first example of this phenomenon in another species,” the researchers concluded.