Do Sperm Whales Talk? And What Do They Say?

So you think humans are unique because of our big, highly-developed brains and because we are the only species on the planet who can talk, right?

Think again. Sperm whales have brains 6 times the size of ours; live in pods which resemble family units; and, according to some researchers, they communicate in a way which would be best described as language.

Sperm whales communicate (talk) using series of clicks--which at 236 decibels can be so loud they can literally vibrate a human body to death. (They can also easily blow out our eardrums if they so choose; or paralyze our limbs using sound.)

Interestingly, sperm whales seem to prefer to steer clear of humans if they're in subs or using SCUBA gear (that is, if they breathe underwater using tanks with compressed air). However, if you're free diving with them, they are very likely to approach you and check you out and talk to you. In other words, the only way to really study and research sperm whales up close is to go freediving with them.

(On the other hand, given the fact that whaling ships around the world still "take" (kill) many sperm whales every year, it's probably very sensible of them to want to avoid armed humans, right?)

While checking you out and/or welcoming you to their pod (family), they may also orient themselves vertically, which makes them look almost like giant human divers themselves.

Researchers think that sperm whales' clicks aren't only used for echolocation (a form of radar or rather sonar to see or hear in the water) but also contain a secret language. They've found that different groups of sperm whales have different dialects (different languages); they've also found that sperm whales can cram 1,600 micro clicks into a single second! (Isn't that like transmitting an entire page of text per second?) 

What's more, baby sperm whales (calves) take about two years to learn to talk like adults. Before that, they babble, similarly to human babies. This would obviously mean that sperm whales learn to speak their language--again, just like us.

Now, researchers are in a race against time to try and crack the sperm whale language within the next two years (and they're hoping to use AI to help them do so). Sperm whale populations around the world are in danger of extinction, and the best thing to do to protect them would be to prove they can actually communicate with us.

Got squid?

Check out these amazing videos to learn more:

TEDx Talks: Deep Dive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM77aTk1XyI

Sperm Whales Clicking You Inside Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsDwFGz0Okg

The Insane Biology of: The Sperm Whale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hve8_iSDD-o