Scientists using AI have decoded a human-like communication system in sperm whales. The study reveals vowel-like sounds, rhythm, and grammar-like patterns in whale codas, offering new insight into a complex non-human language beneath the oceans.
In a breakthrough that could transform our understanding of life on Earth, scientists have uncovered a sophisticated communication system used by sperm whales—one that mirrors the building blocks of human speech far more closely than previously imagined.
AI Reveals Human-Like Vocal Patterns in Whale Codas
Researchers from Project CETI used advanced AI tools to analyse thousands of clicking sounds—known as codas—produced by sperm whales in the Caribbean. What initially resembled simple Morse-code patterns turned out to be a structured language built on vowel-like sounds, rhythm, pitch control, and grammar-like rules.
Whales produced two main vowel-style sounds: an “ah-like” a-coda and an “ee-like” i-coda. These weren’t random noises; whales intentionally adjusted pitch, length, pauses, and speed—similar to how humans form different words using mouth movements. This marks the first known instance of a non-human species creating vowels in a human-like way.
Researchers discovered whales use these codas to bond with family members, identify one another, coordinate feeding dives, and maintain social relationships—forming an intricate underwater social language.
Gašper Beguš, CETI’s linguistics lead, said: “What once sounded like alien Morse code suddenly looks very human.”
How Scientists Recorded and Decoded 4,000 Whale Codas
To capture detailed communication data, scientists attached small suction-cup microphones (DTAGs) to 15 sperm whales. They collected nearly 4,000 clean audio samples between 2014 and 2018.
At normal speed, the clicks seemed slow and random. But once researchers sped up the recordings, the codas revealed patterns resembling human syllables, rhythms, and even sentence-like structures.
Timing emerged as a critical feature:
A New Era of Understanding Ocean Intelligence
The findings, published on bioRxiv, add to growing evidence of complex non-human intelligence in whales. Recent studies show humpbacks create bubble rings to communicate, while blue whales use a unique voice box unlike any other mammal.
As AI continues to revolutionise marine research, scientists believe we may be closer than ever to understanding the hidden conversations happening beneath the ocean’s surface—messages these giants have been exchanging for centuries.