Sperm Whales Clicking You Inside Out - James Nestor at The Interval

If you enjoy this excerpt, watch the FULL VIDEO: theinterval.org/salon-talks/0... or subscribe to our podcast itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
Sounds from another world. Underwater footage and awe-inspiring first-hand accounts of divers who are swimming with sperm whales that are trying to communicate. From author James Nestor's 02014 talk at The Interval at Long Now.
"Humanity and the Deep Ocean" from October 02014, one in an ongoing series of long-term thinking lectures: Conversations at The Interval in San Francisco.
Thanks to the generous support of the Elkes Foundation, Long Now is publishing videos of these talks for the first time. Look for more short, shareable clips of Interval talks released here weekly.
The Long Now Foundation is a non-profit located in San Francisco that is dedicated to fostering long-term thinking and responsibility. Find out more at longnow.org
James Nestor's book "Deep": www.amazon.com/Deep-Freedivin...

[@Prog4Prog]

This is literally click bait

[@mrabsorbency8460]

First reply?!

[@maryowen1722]

😀😀

[@theparadigm8149]

🥁 😅

[@FrameCounting]

lol

[@FootballJersey19]

Bro didn’t even watch a minute in

[@MrJamesLongstreet]

I like land. Land is good.

[@brunosouza3326]

in land me makes fire. Fire warm.

[@milldinho]

I met a whale once it was great, we clicked

[@theparadigm8149]

🥁 😅

[@aftrdark.]

Why are there no replies

[@notpulverman9660]

Sperm whale clicking (200dB). Space shuttle launch (180dB). Pistol gunshot (140dB). Fighter jet take off (130 dB). Commercial airliner (118 dB). Nail gun(110 dB). Rock concert(105 - 114 dB). Every 3 decibels means the sound has doubled, since dB are logarithmic units.

[@masuz3972]

Go up 10 decibels => Intensity of sound has doubled Go down 10 decibels => It's halved Also did you know that the unit is actually called a bel, and desibel just means tenth of a bel?

[@dngartistry8272]

Fuck it, 5 years later lol... as someone who has experienced 130db regularly for 2 years (US navy flight deck), I couldn't even imagine. What would it even take to be able to withstand having a convo with these things?

[@craven5328]

Jesus! Fascinating, thanks!

[@kunheecho280]

btw....180decibels is how loud a rocket launch is...holy crap

[@notpulverman9660]

200decibels is 6 to 7 times louder than 180decibels!! Decibels measure a doubling of noise as an increase of 3 units!

[@notpulverman9660]

They're loud as fuck! And for those of us who don't know, a gunshot is only 140 decibels!

[@Hollyclown]

Whale: “hello friend” Human: “OH MY GOD! EXISTENCE IS PAIN!”

[@bryanjensen2614]

I've been on two trips snorkeling/free diving with sperm whales and believe me this guy isn't kidding...even at a distance you can feel the clicks going through your body I felt like my chest was being used as a giant door knocker

[@df7201]

I wonder if our talking blows out ants' eardrums

[@pearvar77]

Do not forget that for a time they were hunted almost to extinction. And currently they are still threatened.

[@the_arm_bar]

I thought sperm whales where just basic whales. Never knew they had a superpower.

[@yesterday4893]

whales must be protected always!

[@notpulverman9660]

At least this one should be.

[@9999plato]

All true. I used to be a Navy Sonar Tech and I know that the Sonar can injure or possibly kill if a diver is in close proximity. It makes sense that a powerful whales click could do the same.

[@user-vi3tb3bw5t]

Sonar also can confuse and kill whales and other creatures that pick up on it.

[@Christin5554]

this was way too short, it was that interesting. Thank you for the video and the interesting info.

[@longnow]

Hi, thanks for watching! You can watch the full video of James' talk on our site. He covers a lot of other areas. It's fascinating work: theinterval.org/salon-talks/02014/oct/07/humanity-and-deep-ocean

[@warrenlightning8137]

To bad they can't destroy whaling ships with their clicks.

[@dudethmcgraff7627]

If you’re looking for intelligent life, forget mars. Just look in the ocean.

[@jackharpe3rd233]

I hear that when they learn (and they can learn) that you're sensitive to their clicks they'll potentially quiet themselves down so they'll let you interact with them.

[@spike4850]

People are overestimating them - they’re just beatboxing

[@branni6538]

The fact they allow you in the water and come spend time with you is an honor. Totally awesome! The world is such an amazing place full of such beauty and amazing creatures.

[@SupesMe]

I saw a thing on PBS a few years ago where a Diver was in the water with a Baby Sperm Whale (It was about 6 feet long) and it was clicking away at him trying to figure out what he was and he could feel himself being thumped in the chest. Then the Mom raced up from the Depths and the little Whale said "Gotta Go" and raced over to her. I bet a full grown one could fry you accidentally. Some researchers think they Fry Giant Squids with the clicks

[@deaththekid6614]

Props to the guys who risked their eardrums and lives for science!

[@WifeBTR123]

The stuff about their brains, makes it that much more horrific thinking about the terrors man has inflicted over the years with commercial whaling. :( Getting killed slowly and knowing it...

[@ravendevino6419]

Whale: HI HUMAN Diver: Oh my god! Too loud! Whale: *at the same volume* hi human

[@R0BL0W]

In six minutes my whole understanding of us, the world, and our place in it has changed so much

[@xI777Ix]

This guy is a good lector. He has clear, smooth speech without dead space between fragments. Albeit short, his information was on point. In addition, unlike most modern lectors he is not desperately trying to trow in some random jokes to get giggles out of the audience.

[@SgtAwesome97]

When you started talking about how their brains are developed, it got me thinking that it is a high possibility that sperm whales have their own language. And even cooler still to me, is that if they indeed do have their own language, it is very possible that given enough time to research it we could actually communicate with them.

[@derekwall200]

calls get as loud as 236 decibels underwater? that is enough to stun or kill a person

[@TheHellSpawn000]

I went on vacation to the carribean with my dad in dominica and there was a adolescent sperm whale so we went diving and the moment the whale noticed us it started coming closer and i cant even put words to the feeling, every click it made felt like a wave of water was hitting me, and it also felt like my heart was stopping and starting back up between clicks and my eyeballs were vibrating. And it was a lone adolescent, not an adult, i was in the water for 2 minutes till i was scrambling to get out, cant imagine what it was like for these divers.

[@colbys1257]

This makes me want to jump in the water and cry 'I am so , so, so, so, so fucking sorry for everything we've done".

[@dyproxus1806]

Wait, the wail of a whale can *kill* a human at close range without them even trying?! I know that even predatory sperm whales are gentle giants, but the giant can still, metaphorically, step on us by accident. Also, if sperm whale hearing is sensitive enough to detect these blasts of sound from thousands of miles away, how are they capable of handling their own voice when they bellow? That’s wild!

[@lindt393]

This stuff is why I'm majoring in marine biology. This is the kind of research I want to do. What if we could create a functional two-way communication with another species in its language? That's never been done before. Sure, we've taught apes sign language and parrots english (and of course other languages, but english is the one that most studies are done in) but those are by and large human languages which are specified to human anatomy and cognition. But cetaceans are seperated from us by over 200 million years of evolution, their brain structures are completely different, they are aquatic, their primary imaging sense is hearing, they percieve and conceptualize the world completely differently from us! We know they have comparable intelligence to us (though it's impossible to make a direct comparison because any tests we can come up with will automatically be skewed by our own limitations and bias, like...we can't even come up with a reliable and accurate comprehensive intelligence metric within our own species that isn't skewed towards a certian demographic and societally constructed ideal of what 'counts' as intelligence but i digress) and we know they have a language and their social structures are similar to ours. We're similar enough that we can relate to one another but different enough that we can each gain entirely novel insights into things we had never even concieved of. For as long as humanity hasbeen around we've dreamed about first contact with another sentient life form (first as spirits and dieties, then as aliens and robots) but really it's been right here the whole time! We can make first contact with an alien we have shared a world with for the entirety of human history. Like, not only is that objectively the coolest thing ever but like, it has so much potential in terms of conservation, in terms of the very construction of ou self-concept as humans, of society, of science, of life in general. I want to be a part of that. I want to talk to a whale and understand what it tells me. I want to make friends with a person who's not human.

[@notpulverman9660]

First communication with sperm whales will not be made by marine biologists. It will be made by cryptographers or mathematicians. It will probably be done by 50 years of eavesdropping on 2 or more whales talking to each other while observing their actions/brain activity.

[@angelkotilainen]

They are vibrational beings, they will not talk or communicate like us, it's designed that way. They are here reminding us that we are vibrational too. Language is outdated. But they recognize Love, the universal vibration that is the only one that matters :) Animals have no real interest in talking human language, and why should they, it's outdated mostly. They are more advanced.

[@justintai8725]

Wow that ended too soon. I need more much much more...

[@longnow]

Thanks, there's more. Watch the full video here: theinterval.org/salon-talks/02014/oct/07/humanity-and-deep-ocean

[@seanlehmann4235]

I could have listened to that for hours.

[@longnow]

Thank you! Full video of this talk is here: theinterval.org/salon-talks/02014/oct/07/humanity-and-deep-ocean

[@jcloud2928]

I'm glad I "clicked" on this video. Public education would have been facinating if this kind of information was standard.

[@ROOKTABULA]

His favourite word: Sketchy.

[@mikerichardson7261]

Don't know where this guy got the idea that "great apes" don't feel love or compassion, but he's dead wrong.

[@toni5290]

This is probably the most interesting video I'v seen in a while.

[@MasterVycen]

Since sperm whales are so separated from our ancestry, does that mean that the so-called "spindle cells" evolved twice independently in two distantly related species?

[@lucrebrazzi4069]

Elephants communicate with each other over long distances with tall standing waves that are below human hearing. I wonder how these sharp rapports are better suited to travel through water. Also the divers got cooked like a hot dog does in a microwave. That energy excited the water in their bodies. Really fascinating stuff.

[@Delicia1362125]

Ever since I was a child sperm whales have captured my heart and my imagination. They are so very special. Back when I was a kid no one really knew much about them and it has only been in recent years where researchers have learned what the have so far and I'm sure there is plenty more to learn about them. To my knowledge Jacques Cousteau and his gang were the first to get close to the sperm whale. I'm 64 now and it is still my dream to greet and meet these magnificent beings. Perhaps one day................

[@zacharyjarrells7084]

Sperm Whale: “Hello, how are you? You are a strange creature, but seem friendly. Would you like to be my friend?” Human: “DEAR GOD, MY INSIDES ARE BURNING!! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!! THE NOISE IS TOO LOUD!”

[@everettstone6574]

The behavior around humans is fascinating. Besides just curiosity, I think these whales want us to clean them. From what I understand, the head up position is a position of relaxation for sperm whales. They also don't seem to be trying to keep a visual on the people. and, even if they are of great intelligence, I doubt that they would conclude that humans are of such high intelligence as well. They probably think we're some sort of friendly, playful, super skinny seals. So, the only thing that makes sense to me, is that they want us to rub their faces, and maybe remove any parasites we can. Mutual grooming is a long standing social bonding ritual of mammals, so by doing this, it could be the key to unlocking further discoveries of their communication. And really, if we can do anything nice for whales, I think we do owe it to them if we can.

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

...sounds almost like a Geiger counter.

[@mikuspalmis]

If the whale was bio-mechanical it could be an H.R. Giger counter.

[@alnosaints]

They sure are friendly to us not to kill us

[@Distant_INC]

Legitimately the most interesting thing I've watched tonight.

[@CraftyZanTub]

I bet those whales were speaking softly and swimming gently amongst a tiny life form in their midst.

[@InfamousWolf89]

I want to freedive with sperm whales now. After hearing about them, it feels like it would be like meeting an intelligent extraterrestrial. Unable to speak the same language and both from vastly different environments, but somehow feel some sort of a simple empathic connection. They are probably just as curious as humans as we are about them

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

Two HUNDRED decibels?? That is the rating of a _space shuttle liftoff_ at close range!

[@brunosouza3326]

its more then a space shuttle actually.

[@McKeelix]

That is absolutely terrifying??? But also awesome.

[@abecoulter8550]

apparently the clicks can heat up the surrounding water

[@heartbeatsdrum]

Just finished Moby Dick today so this is much appreciated.

[@thegrinch0614]

This is incredible....part of me would love to dive with whales but at the same time the thought alone terrifies me. Such majestic creatures...

[@jordansage9655]

Melville didn't choose a sperm whale in Moby-Dick for nothing. Perhaps we'll discover years from now they are in fact the most intelligent creatures that have ever evolved on planet Earth after human beings...

[@Claytone-Records]

I did quite a bit of snorkeling in Japan in the 70’s. I experienced that sound and didn’t know what it was. I never saw them and have no idea how far away they were. This is all very fascinating. I wonder what John Lilly would have made of this?

[@pewpewcat7679]

One of those rare moments when I learn so much just by watching a short clip. Great footage, amazing information. This is just incredible. I knew none of these things that were discussed. Brings the socratic paradox back. Thanks for sharing!

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

This animal fills me with awe. Fun fact: There is at least one confirmed example of a large bull sperm whale making a dive that lasted 90 minutes and went 2 miles down! Yeah, holy shit!

[@lass-inangeles7564]

Wow. I'm blown away. So fortunate to have come across this video. What an out of world experience. Why look for aliens, when we have whales, dolphins and so much more in the ocean. Thank you!

[@carolwilliams7052]

[continued] Sonic feedback loop THEY experience allows them to modulate the cliques that they're making in such a way that it wouldn't be intentional to harm a human - - keep in mind that they may be able to "read" much more about a person than we realize, and might choose to be more menacing toward someone they perceive as harmful.

[@s.spiegel3032]

I love everything about sperm wales. They are such amazing creatures.

[@greenteambc]

Alex Spiegel I bet you love the first part of their name the most lol 😂 jk

[@LarryC213]

That was amazing. Thank you, sir. There is just no telling what they are capable of doing with that sound.

[@equarg]

Wow. Just wow. An amazing experience! Thanks for sharing!

[@saintmichaelsmorningstar6451]

For the record , even though it doesn’t matter......... This is my dream , all of it

[@catelinenglert6256]

I watched this for the 10th time and I’m still I. Awe over these amazing creatures

[@bushmonger950]

2:04 *come here human*

[@MrJohn8404]

Maybe they are orienting themselves the way we are in the water "vertically". Probably just saying Hello.

[@simon01ize]

Almost speechless,just incredible and beautiful souls.

[@ats-3693]

Wow i could listen to this guy talk about this for hours, I'd love to go to one of his lectures.

[@truegirl2anna]

Don’t know why this was in my recommended but wow, stayed to watch the entire thing and boy, does this guy know how to make this appear so much more fascinating

[@MrAdryan1603]

That was the most fascinating talk/video. How amazing and humbling

[@georgeisaak5321]

WOW , just wow ! I have seen tons of documentaries for those animals but this is completely new to me !!!!

[@longnow]

thanks! you might enjoy watching the full talk here: theinterval.org/salon-talks/02014/oct/07/humanity-and-deep-ocean

[@gojewla]

That last part about spindle cells was quite interesting. All of it was quite interesting, in fact!

[@Darkboy2525]

Nature is so extremely awesome ! So elusive and beautiful ! The wonders NEVER end !

[@kiwihame]

That's so wild! Such amazing creatures. Great talk!

[@jslfcs7087]

Wow. That is just incredible. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@DG-ut4xy]

How interesting would it be when it is possible to read and understand their language/speech. Fascinating creatures!

[@Wasaia]

Chills down my spine! Incredible beings.

[@thetransformationnow]

Thanks for sharing this. Fascinating Beings we share this Mother Earth with! I could feel my Heart opened from hearing the clicks, WOW!

[@campos3452]

This was incredible my ears heard something new and different through the internet. Internet is truly a miracle.

[@BradenEliason]

For all those people comparing 236 dB to the loudness of other things: the reference loudness used for water is lower than the reference loudness used in air. Quantities measured in dB are always relative measurements. It's not a prefect conversion factor, but if you subtract 61.5 dB from the loudness in water you'll get the approximate comparable loudness in air. 236 dB wanted is *roughly* comparable to 174.5 dB in air. Still very very loud.

[@OceanPictures]

Very informative video! Ive always wanted to film them underwater, thanks for sharing the risks and the experience. Amazing creatures

[@dandelion1627]

Amazing. Beautiful. Out of this world (or the world we thought we understand). Highly intelligent beings are always peaceful, humble, accepting, and loving.

[@SeaBassVEVO]

Beautiful talk! Thank you!

[@sewcrazy9433]

What a great video gift!! This was captivating and actually brought me inner peace.

[@m-bronte]

It's the ultimate MRI....nature is amazing!

[@myribunt5261]

This is amazing. Truly amazing. Thank you

[@MDZac2024]

Just incredible. How has anyone disliked this video.

[@antonthemanton3065]

Amazing video.... It is terrifying and inspiring at the same time how little we know.

[@claytondorris2702]

This is making my ears ring

[@erikadavis4696]

I watched the entire presentation and it was very interesting and informative. Wonderful work.

[@jarrednorfleet8662]

Amazing video. Very educational, direct and fun to listen to. Recommend for all ages.

[@agerven]

Amazing. Learned so many new things from this!

[@taylord9379]

these creatures are amazing, the things they must know about this universe...

[@spiderdudesuper]

My brain feels like it had a satisfying meal. Imagine if one day we could speak to them. We could ask them about unknown animals. Like if megalodon exists still.

[@msmargiek48]

I would dive with them in a heartbeat. That would be the most amazing thing to feel and see

[@fuckyouyoutube7921]

Never knew they could actually kill you with their clicks. Amazing video, thank you for sharing.

[@Guitcad1]

"...all of those things that make humans human and separate us from great apes." There _IS NO_ separation. Humans _ARE_ great apes. Any distinction is not only purely artificial but downright _absurd._ It's like trying to distinguish between _greyhounds_ and _dogs!_ Humans _ARE_ great apes in _exactly_ the same way that greyhounds _ARE_ dogs! [Steps down from soap box]

[@SpecialAgentJamesAki]

Wow very friendly even with the pup there!

[@OnlyKaerius]

I wonder if closed circuit rebreather diving is silent enough to dive with them, it's substantially quieter than scuba.

[@alibee1978]

Mind absolutely blown !

[@metsot]

Whales are hauntingly beautiful creatures.

[@spoopyscaryskeletons9187]

I love all the comments on here, they’re so interesting and wholesome. ❤️