Scientists decode whale language, discover they talk just like humans

Scientists have decoded the language that whales use to communicate with each other in the ocean during social interactions in family groups.

Experts used artificial intelligence to study the communication between these sea creatures and discovered a pattern of two distinct vowel sounds.

The Morse code-like clicking pattern that sperm whales used to talk to each other is known as codas and the two distinct sounds include, “ah” and an “ee”. 

This marked the first time that scientists discovered any non-human species using vowel sounds for communication.

The Project CETI researchers said that whales actively controlled the pitch, length, rhythm and loudness to pronounce different words.

Suction cup microphones, known as DTAGs, were attached to 15 sperm whales in the Caribbean to record their clicks up close without distortion.

They also found a striking resemblance between human and whale communication as the sea creatures used their lips and air sacs as sound source and filter; similarly, humans use their vocal cords and vocal tract.

In an interview with Popular Science, the Project CETI’s linguistic lead, Gasper Begus, said, “The whale communication system appears very similar to our speech.”

The peer-review awaiting study currently available on preprint server bioRvix further states that whales also used a secret language while greeting family members and some other social moments.