Sperm Whales and Their Human-Like Culture
Sperm whales like humans develop deeper
connections with each other than you would think normal animals can. New
research has suggested that these whales can form a type of culture together
within “clicks” that appear through communication and chit chat amongst each
other. There is a lot of debate whether there are other species of animals that
can form a culture like we do as humans. This research is showing that the
whales communicate with each other just because in there time when they are not
hunting.
A lot of this communication occurs
between females and calves. A group of 12 females and calves will travel
together and raise their young sperm whales together. This smaller group is
actually a part of a much larger group of 30 to 300 sperm whales that use a
form of echolocation to speak to each other. Research has found that the clicks
that the animal sends out have different dialects and are actually a type of
language that is being used to send specific signals to one another. The whales
learned this specific dialect from the other whales around them, like we as humans
learn to communicate with each other.
Researchers collected echolocation
data from sperm whales in the Galapagos Islands and put all of their
information in a database to analyze. What they found was that whales have a
certain bias for the sound of the members in their specific clan. This is how
what these researchers claim to be their culture. These types of findings and
communication between non-human animals is really rare and super interesting.
So much information is unknown about the sea and the animals that live in. Are
there other communities in the ocean that simulate human relationships that we
are unaware of?
Reference:
https://student.societyforscience.org/article/sperm-whales%E2%80%99-clicks-suggest-animals-have-culture
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ReplyDeleteI was just reading about this topic (sorta) in an article from Foreign Policy and it got me searching for further proof of submarine disturbance on whale communication. The US and British Navy has known for some time, 10ish years, that submarine's can silence communication between whales and their compadres within their pods. While the study Nature referred to focuses on the effect of submarine war games surrounding the UK, I'm sure it would effect sperm whales chit chatting around the Galapagos Islands. There is data that shows that whales stopped vocalizing when the sonars were going off like crazy.
I wonder if the sperm whales you reference would stop talking with one another or would have a more difficult time discerning their buddies vocalizations from the rest of their pals in the "click" with sonars firing away?
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/18/navy-curtails-sonar-war-on-whales/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34252058
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080801/full/news.2008.997.html
This is so interesting! Thank you for finding this information Jess. I was wondering if they have done any research on the dynamics of these clicks, using their communication as a way to measure it. For example is there an alpha male and does he have a different tone or frequency than the other males that distinguishes him from others.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this! We were actually talking about animal minds in my behavioral ecology class and this reminded me of one of the stories that we heard in class. A whale was stuck in a fishing net and was basically being dragged down, only able to keep it's head barely above water. These fishermen dove in the water and began cutting the net, but the whale was frantic, unsure what their motives were. Eventually they cut the net through and it sank quickly into the darkness that sat beneath them and the whale disappeared. However, one of them in the water looked down and saw the whale swimming up towards them and fast, he began to panic. The whale stopped within inches of his chest and just gave him a small nudge. The whale then went to the rescuers and looked each of them in the eye. They immediately thought the whale was saying thank you for what they had done. But was it? How do we know that the whale was saying "thank you"? We use anthropomorphism when we have no idea what the noises they are making even mean.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, they aren't the only sea animals where studies have been done about communication! Recently I was reading about humpback whales and their incredible ability to capture prey. There was a study done last year showing evidence of social learning of specific population traits that ranged from prey capture to complex singing. This study investigated the pulsed sounds that were produced by humpback whales that were "engaged in bottom-feeding behaviors, referred to here as a 'paired burst' sound." (1). The paired burst sound production was only associated with bottom-feeding with low-light conditions, where the sound could serve either as a communication signal to conspecifics, a signal to affect the prey's behavior, or both. These studies show there are variation among individuals and that phenotypic plasticity is present in foraging behaviors. It also provides evidence of acoustic signal use in foraging individuals in these species. Overall, I loved reading about these studies and find this very interesting!