Sperm whales have their own alphabet, scientists say | BBC News

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying a clan of sperm whales in the East Caribbean, found the mammals use clicks to tell other whales who they are.
Sperm whales are known to be very sociable and communicate with each other across thousands of miles with a series of rhythmic clicks, called codas.
Researchers have analysed recordings from 60 different members of the Eastern Caribbean sperm whale clan to create what they call a "sperm whale phonetic alphabet" of different click combinations.
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[@Samirustem]

Our imagining aliens is so primitive. Here we are with animal that shares most of its genome and history with us and its more alien than anything i have seen in fiction

[@Junksaint]

Aliens realistically would have technology we can barely dream of

[@t3hpenguinofd00m]

​@@Junksaintaliens that could reach earth would, yes. Most aliens that just exist very simply on their home planets probably wouldn't.

[@ElonHusky]

@@Junksaint depends if they just in early evolution face then not may be they're in stone age or exitnct long ago

[@user-rg7uh9se4c]

This animal is barely related to primates.

[@eonthinker100yrago8]

@@Junksaint Or maybe alien life is animal like lifeforms or intellegent beings still in primitive phase.

[@ShiftyGeeza]

Message from Whales to humans decoded: "You should have stayed in the oceans. What a friggin mess you've made of the planet"

[@Myrdin90]

Sperm whales are mammals who went back to the sea. If animals never left the water then they wouldn't exist

[@user-ps5dn7nr9o]

For those that didn’t know, the clicks you can hear, they can rattle your ribcage and actually hurt you because of how sound travels in water. Quite interesting

[@JJONNYREPP]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHaYhn2GiJepd8Ufeature=shared

[@vectorfox4782]

The humans thought that they were the only intelligent life, fully unaware of their forerunners.

[@Myrdin90]

Forerunners? Do tou mean the whales? 😂

[@vectorfox4782]

@@Myrdin90 what crated your species?

[@shenvalla]

​@@vectorfox4782monke

[@Myrdin90]

@@vectorfox4782 Humans? Nothing. A series of random changes happened that just ended up with us.

[@vectorfox4782]

@@Myrdin90 spoiler alert: not random. You are an experiment in progress

[@joermnyc]

Makes you wonder what their word for humans is. “Annoying land monsters with pointy sticks”?

[@SidewalkCitizenLA]

You forgot "who poison everything with their garbage"

[@jordancostello3385]

The gods

[@pandoraalberts5267]

Probably ruder than we could possibly imagine.

[@joermnyc]

@@jordancostello3385 more like demons.

[@argfasdfgadfgasdfgsdfgsdfg6351]

Nah, it's 'Click-click clickity click *pause* click-clack' .

[@vaunniethayer1484]

It sounds like a Morse code.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

Whales are sentient. The sooner humans grow up the better.

[@nepq1of1]

Just about all animals are sentient.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

@@nepq1of1 Sapient. All animals are sapient. Not all animals are sentient, but far more than just humans, certainly. Use words properly.

[@nepq1of1]

@@Atmatan_Kabbaher Sapient means attempting to appear wise. Sentient means to feel. Scratch "just about" - all animals are sentient. All animals feel emotions. Use words properly.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

@@nepq1of1 A very quick and simple search would immediately prove you wrong without me needing to. History and objectivity show you as an idiot. As far as animals go, you aren't very impressive.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

@@nepq1of1 Just to cover my bases: * Sentience has nothing whatsoever to do with emotion * Sentience has nothing to do with feeling or intuition whatsoever * Sapience implies intuition and the ability to apply knowledge, not your incorrect and slimmed down half definition. * Watch your mouth before someone shows you what an animal that doesn't feel looks like.

[@DenisCalligraphy]

I think she meant whales can dive over 1,000 FEET not 1,000 kilometres! Oops at 3:04

[@danielbrooks6947]

This. I was like hold on a second 😂

[@DenisCalligraphy]

@@danielbrooks6947 Americans are not used to metrics. Otherwise she was knowledgeable.

[@RandomNooby]

1000 freedom units

[@DenisCalligraphy]

At less that 11 kilometres, the Challenger Deep is the deepest part of the oceans, so to dive to 1,000 km would definitely be a deep challenge!

[@martensjd]

More likely 1000m or 1km than 1000 feet.

[@Lazaruslove]

They are so magnificent. I don’t know how we can trash the oceans or our beautiful planet.

[@BlameThande]

Star Trek IV was right!

[@frankcherry3810]

Boy, that shows your age! Haha

[@javastream5015]

Yes, but it was not with sperm whales. It was with humpback whales. And it was the probe which communicated with the whales. 🐳

[@mcflyfarm]

Gracie is pregnant.

[@samsmith2635]

Transparent Aluminum and Scotty. That scene, "hello computer"

[@joermnyc]

@@javastream5015Spock said it best, “There are other forms of intelligence on Earth, Doctor. Only human arrogance would assume the message must be meant for man.”

[@quite1enough]

I wish I live to the day when I'll be able to freely speak with whales, bcs I'm getting tired of humans...

[@nickb220]

i'm tired of you too bro

[@skycloud4802]

A whale probably wouldn't want to speak to you either.

[@jeremeytheking]

Good luck trying to talk to them without the vibrations killing you

[@quite1enough]

@@jeremeytheking at a distance....

[@quite1enough]

@Emptybladder still more sensible than most humans

[@logicalmusicman5081]

It is great to see more study in this area and expanding our understanding of intelligent animals.

[@Iplayforfood88]

More research needs to be done on military grade Sonar and then effect it has on Sea life.

[@JJONNYREPP]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIW6oI2kgLWJnLMfeature=shared

[@s1nb4d59]

It was really interesting what taylor was saying it was a pity the interview was so short as im sure there could have been alot more said on the topic from her,she did well in her first interview

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

That was the most informative article on The Beeb, for a while.

[@Junksaint]

Whales and dolphins both, there are a few other fish that talk and many ocean species can use tools. If they buried their dead, we'd have to consider them proper intelligent.

[@t3hpenguinofd00m]

Elephants apparently conduct funerary rites for their dead. That's pretty close to burying them.

[@noneyabizz8337]

Lots of fish make noise

[@PrenticeSummerscales]

@@noneyabizz8337 Yes, fish are more vocal than a lot of people realise. Toadfish serenade each other.

[@Junksaint]

@@t3hpenguinofd00m I know an orca mother carrier her babies body for Miles when it was stillborn, they certainly experience powerful emotions

[@t3hpenguinofd00m]

@@Junksaint yep, absolutely. I've seen simian species do this as well. We humans really don't give some animals enough respect.

[@andrewj22]

"Alphabet" seems a bad analogy, since humans only use an alphabet in the context of written communication. An alphabet doesn't make sense without the written word.

[@lfeb]

More like a dictionary?

[@andrewj22]

@@lfeb How about just "words"?

[@stefaniev.5884]

It's Frequency 🌌

[@andrewj22]

@@stefaniev.5884 Sure, but that's not an analogy to what humans can relate to. The question is, "what do the frequencies represent?" It isn't plausible that the frequencies would represent something analogous to letters (which are not carriers of meaning). It only makes sense that they're akin to words or word parts (like prefixes, suffixes, etc.) - things that have semantic significance.

[@kimarna]

The word you want is phonemes, units of meaningful sound that make up a language

[@twistedyogert]

I'm not surprised that they do. Whales are quite intelligent.

[@TheAshCooper]

I'm embrassed it took this long to admit all nature is sentient

[@noneyabizz8337]

Science.... letting us all know what we've known about whales for decades.

[@markarmage3776]

We have never denied that they're sentient. But we do deny that they're rational beings, there's a gigantic difference.

[@samsmith2635]

@@markarmage3776 Whales live in Balance with their environment, that's 100% more rational than the Human approach....

[@markarmage3776]

@@samsmith2635 That's not what rational actually means, buddy. Go grab a dictionary. You have no understanding what the word environment means, or what the word harmony means.

[@angrycinnamontoast794]

​@@samsmith2635what is bro yapping about

[@keikei3301]

This is absolutely wonderful! MORE OF THIS TYPE OF CONTENT PLS!

[@kiuk_kiks]

3:06 Dive 1,000 kilometres to feed? Where are they going? To the earth’s mantle??? 😂😂😂😂😂

[@alistair9283]

I am high and fuckn gas-lighting myself into thinking it makes sense.

[@Rotsen-br9zq]

When I heard that "thousand kilometers", whaaatttt? I'm sure she meant thousand meters.

[@umeinui]

😂

[@saifwins95]

Maybe she meant deep grazing across 1000km of distance, not at 1000km depth?

[@El_Vuego]

I think she accidentally misspoke. Spermwhales diving to 1000 meters isn't rare at all. And mothers won't stray for a 1000 km from their family. So i think she meant to say 1000 meters there

[@imtiazdar7787]

*Whale Baby Sitting* ❤

[@boeingpameesha9550]

Thank you for sharing.

[@cuongbang7721]

I thought the deepest part of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep and it is approximately 10,935 meters (< 11km), and at 3:04, she said the mother whale dive deep over 1000 km! Maybe she mistaken meter and kilometer?

[@orlock20]

She's American. Besides, people thought that Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea was a reference to depth.

[@francoisleclerc521]

Yes meters.

[@zipperpillow]

Whale: "Dang! Where did all the fish go?"

[@carlgodfrey4482]

How sad is people trying to hunt and eat these unicorn creatures and all the trash we dump in a ocean knowing they are there but they may be even more amazing creatures that we can't even dream in our imagination dreams I wonder what the very 1st message would be, what a time to be alive

[@shmookins]

Whale: "Say hi to your mother for me".

[@frankcherry3810]

Finally! Something intersting

[@jguitar23]

I'm sure they often say, "Sloppy humans, clean up that damned garbage patch!!"

[@albertines4827]

Do they look closely at the relationships between the pod and a newly born calf, how they teach the calves language? What are their thoughts on regional dialects (like orcas and crows likely have) and how that plays in to decoding the codas? Where do I find the answers to these questions?!

[@whatabouttheearth]

"now were going to talk about how Wales talk" These English still confused by celtic languages 😂

[@jonnynice8366]

I never knew whales could dive over 1000 kilometers deep!

[@michaeladams5332]

Of course

[@kurare175]

they sound like hooligan drum

[@theflyingfool]

Probably the first thing we'll learn is "I wish they would leave us alone to live in peace!"

[@massimo4227]

Sounds like they use a sort of morse code with different intonations.

[@jeremyhunter1459]

"Is Bob coming over for dinner? Yes. It's so weird that you have a co-worker over for dinner." Some whale speak

[@davewilson9738]

And we still hunt whales and octopi, whilst knowing they are intelligent, sentient creatures. One day we will know exactly what they say and be shamed by them.

[@user-cvbnm]

If we keep this studying up we can talk to animals

[@Rnankn]

Are you prepared for what they will say?

[@Astridreynold]

​ we know what they will say

[@sahaquiel4640]

@@Astridreynold "SEND DOWN MORE HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP NOW!!" Can't blame them tbh

[@mortalclown3812]

How cool to hear this. Giraffes have similar arrangements - herd love. Babysitting and subsonic communication happening. Beautiful. Let's hope we're not too late to bring Earth the triage she needs.

[@blairariavanderkamp3405]

What a wonderful video!!

[@dabrams84]

Oregon represent!

[@zapfanzapfan]

What a lovely mammal.

[@andrescastro4836]

Let's get ready to understand what the other animals in the kingdom think of us humans. Might not be too nice at times I suspect....:-)

[@patrickdempsey9706]

Apparently Ai is going to help translate down the road.

[@CPL-team]

absolutely amazing.....👍

[@chhunmab]

Wow 😳😯

[@franzherflek4116]

"now i know my a.b.c's come and swim along with me".

[@Ritza.Elefteria.Michaki]

So nothing has been said but it was nice to see you,

[@JaneJones-lg3bd]

Well......another bunch of scientists have things all figured out! WOW! 😂😂😂

[@icyxxxxx]

Cool!

[@Coreyman32488]

If you want to understand, than u have to live among them and maybe they will help you understand. Once we catch on to there basics, we can learn exponentially

[@garysloan9793]

Whoa! They can dive one thousand kilometers? That’s nuts! Why would they visit the molten mantle?

[@Sun18Jul]

"Alphabet"? "Codas"? The only way I can make sense of this report is to replace those terms with "words" and "vocabulary," possibly interchangeably.

[@robertlussier2944]

Wait until they apply AI to birdsong!

[@Lisargarza]

Codas only used in social situations= I guess whales don’t mutter to themselves….

[@user-zf9dv8kg7q]

u can here whale chat in space station pick up ultra low freq use .

[@VocalChainsStudio]

All life is one

[@johnPrince-tc6fl]

Wouldn't they have different languages from the different regions of earth? Different oceans? Or do they assume a same language when trying to decifer?

[@kaisadler]

Holy crap!! A whale can dive 1,000km into the ocean?!?!

[@lulucolby8882]

A whale of a story! So exciting

[@thewatersavior]

By now they must have clicks to identify boats... perhaps even different clicks for different types. Finding a "rosetta" might look like a click pattern of introduction. How does a new whale join a pod?

[@nurabusnaq6367]

It’s more like Morse code. Clicks are like dots & dashes

[@Carmel99333]

Our family is whales we are family

[@user-rg7uh9se4c]

OT: Benny Hill considered funnier than Monty Python by two TV stations --WOR and WLVI!

[@JJONNYREPP]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIW6oI2kgLWJnLMfeature=shared

[@cal820]

Clic-clic-clicliclic, is all I have to say.

[@AaronsAnglingJourney]

😮 this is brilliant we are getting so advanced we can now understand animals and fish ❤

[@ChiaTheAtom]

Some real NEWS ❤

[@joshuapaul349]

They decoded some recently. Mostly a bunch of garbage about car extended warranties.

[@raisaraidactg1286]

Nice❤

[@drvortex52]

I'm afraid they don't dive 1000 kilometers. I think you mean 1000 meters. But a facnating story....

[@marthajean50]

*Doctor* Taylor Hirsch. He said everything but.

[@b4dabng272]

As science and technology advance, we slowly realise that humans are not a special god gifted being. All animals feel and subconsciously think, its sad that we lost the connection to the planet

[@RandomNooby]

We never had it, we just preyed on everything same as all life...

[@JJONNYREPP]

allegedly, that whale was saying: dont you ever cut my hair like that again.... so trev said....

[@roosterd6904]

Scientist only figure this out AFTER, the whales tell them where to get off.

[@polygonalmasonary]

Whales have an alphabet, everyone knows this already 🙄, it evolved in Caerphilly 😂🤣🤣🇬🇧

[@ginseng6]

ijust laughed my ass off

[@dogecoinx3093]

morse code?

[@chantallamarre5738]

Jumbou

[@josephphoenix1376]

WOW 😳 Absolutely Amazing.....

[@NoWeakness9140]

Me: BBC news will help me to learn major things in the world BBC news: sperm whales 🗿

[@joermnyc]

“Wait, what did the humans call us???!”

[@markphc99]

Can we link what they say to what they do?

[@chadrickwalker8169]

So people really think animals are stupid? Everything have some form of language it’s just that they don’t use speech as how we do.

[@bossel]

"Sperm whales have their own alphabet" Now, this comes as a big surprise. An alphabet is the written representation of spoken language. So, what do the whales use to write? & what do they write upon?

[@SK-vg3mw]

I need to talk to those whales! 😁

[@robbicoke3730]

Whale here, click clickitty clack clllllllllick currrlack

[@EricLatios]

theres some at your mom's house

[@jamesdufeu8046]

We are such a primitive species

[@user-eo1vz9lt8g]

all along they have been begging for a better name

[@uplink-on-yt]

@NativLang takes a break from the series he's working on and pays a lot of attention to this finding.

[@andrereloaded1425]

She's a whale expert. An expert on whales.

[@andrereloaded1425]

@Drobalar-Drsebi But he's not a whale expert - he's haddock-tor.

[@ConsecDesign]

ok, cool... now lets stop destroying their habitat and grant them a proverbial seat at the table

[@CamNews-bt2du]

Do you love whale songs?

[@Ronin.Spirit]

Peter Griffin: I found out what the hole of whales was not made for

[@pdw8635]

Well I sure as hell hope so! I never expected to be watching a David Attenborough documentary on whales and have him say- listen to this pod of whales as they communicate with each other… LMNOP! QRS! TUV! W! X! Y AND Z!!

[@joshx022]

Is it sticky? I bet its sticky.

[@CPL-team]

👍🥰🥰🥰

[@soniaclark1220]

☀️

[@roberttalada5196]

Way to oversimplify science BBC.

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

We need scientists 🧑‍🔬 to learn monogrammar, otherwise they will *never* be able to decode a monogrammar language, as it will be untranslatable to English.

[@englishbob9492]

Did she say a thousand kilometres down?

[@cuongbang7721]

Yeah, she said so at 3:04 😬

[@mgaesthetic]

We got the whale rosetta stone before gta vi

[@00ta]

Perhaps other mammals, such as cats, dogs, and cows, may share similar capabilities... It's amazing.

[@RandomNooby]

Woof

[@wildandbarefoot]

Whalesong is mostly swearing at humans.

[@falanajerido875]

Interesting enjoy