Oregon researcher helps to identify special sounds that represent whale clans

Adapted from a story by Molly Rosback

(SEPTEMBER 23, 2022) Sperm whales in the Pacific Ocean make distinct sounds that help them identify whales in different groups of families. That's the conclusion of new report from a team that includes an Oregon State University researcher.

These sounds, called “identity codas,” are unique sequences of clicking sounds. They function as symbolic markers of different social groups. They are a part of whale culture, researchers say.

“They’re all kind of using the same language, but phrasing things slightly differently,” said Mauricio Cantor. He's an assistant professor in OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute. He is also a co-author of the study. “The identity codas would serve as a flag: an arbitrary but useful way to advertise membership of a particular group.”

Cantor compared the use of identity codas to a human wearing a football jersey. If you attend a game but don’t know anyone in the crowd, a jersey is a simple way of telling everyone else which group you’re in.

The codas are a sign of whale culture because they are shared among clan members. They are learned and shared through generations. Young whales aren’t born knowing any specific codas. They learn them by imitating adult members of their clan. And the clans’ codas have remained consistent over time.

“The bigger picture here is this gigantic gap that we perceive (or insist on perceiving) between humans and everything else on Earth,” Cantor said. “One of the main things that used to separate us is the ability for humans to have culture. This notion is slowly being eroded over time with studies showing that animals do learn, and they pass that information on, which can become little traditions that are stable over time.”

For the study, researchers analyzed 23,429 sperm whale codas. They were recorded in 23 specific regions across the Pacific Ocean. The recordings date from 1978-2017 and span locations from Tonga, Palau and Japan to Chile and the Galapagos Islands.