Researchers have discovered that sperm whales use sophisticated communication systems involving rhythmic sequences of clicks known as codas, which exhibit structures similar to human language, with potential combinatorial coding systems, fine-grain changes, and continuous variations resembling linguistic phenomena like phonemes, suggesting richness in information.

A research project called CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), established in 2020 and led by biologist David Gruber, used AI to identify 156 unique coda types in sperm whale communication by analyzing thousands of recordings, including a dataset from The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, which had previously identified 21 coda types through manual annotation.

Sperm whales exhibit complex social behaviors, decision-making, and communication skills, living in synchronized groups and using vocalizations with variations like "rubato" and "ornamentation" to convey a wide range of meanings.

In the late 1960s, Dr. Roger Payne's recordings of "Songs of the Humpback Whale" sparked the "Save the Whales" movement, leading to the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the recovery of many whale populations from the brink of extinction.

Researchers suggest that sperm whale communication may exhibit the duality of patterning, a linguistic phenomenon observed in human language, but stress the importance of understanding it more fundamentally through continued research.

Peter Bermant, an undergraduate, co-authored a key paper on sperm whale bioacoustics published in 2019, playing a crucial role in showcasing the utility of advanced machine learning in this field by teaching himself Python programming. He currently works as a senior machine learning engineer at Conservation X Labs.

Sources: BBC, Warp News, Greenbot, Harvard Magazine

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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According to a study by the University of Queensland, humpback whales migrating along the east and west coasts of Australia were found to be healthier and less stressed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The reduced stress levels were attributed to decreased human activity, underwater noise, contaminants, and pollutants during the pandemic.

The study used drone images, blubber samples, and genetic analysis to assess the whales' physical condition, energy reserves, and stress hormone (cortisol) levels.

The analysis revealed significantly lower cortisol concentrations in 2021 compared to 2020, indicating reduced environmental stress for the whales.

Sources: ABC, Knowridge, Earth, Vista al Mar, El Imparcial, Huaral, RPP, El Heraldo, 24 Horas, Revista Summa, Montevideo Portal, WION, La Tribuna, Phys.org, Milenio, El Universo, El Nacional, XEU, La Sexta

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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The Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) of gray whales, consisting of around 200 individuals frequenting the Pacific Northwest coast, has experienced a decrease in body length by an average of 13% (about 1.65 meters or 5 feet) since around the year 2000.

Females are now comparable in size to males, whereas they were previously larger.

The reduction in size, more noticeable in recent years, could signal a decline in whale population health and overall ecosystem well-being.

Smaller whales have smaller blubber reserves, making them less resilient to challenges like boat collisions, injuries, entanglement in fishing gear, potentially impacting survival rates and reproductive success.

The shrinking size is likely caused by environmental factors such as changes in food availability, ocean conditions, nutrient availability, and upwelling patterns due to climate change, rather than being inherited genetically.

Gray whales are considered ecosystem sentinels, and their shrinking size coincides with changes in ocean cycles.

Sources: Scientific American, Yahoo News, OPB, Bend Bulletin, Newser, WION, List23, Head Topics, Yale E360, DIVE Magazine, SciTechDaily, FOX 41 Yakima, FOX 28 Spokane, IB Times, NT News, OregonLive, Interesting Engineering, KGW, Earth.com

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Video taken at Betset Beach shows one large and one small whale, apparently a mother and her calf. The two were swimming south.  

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This is the first confirmed sighting of sperm whales in Israeli territorial waters since the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center began its research in 1993, and has caused great excitement among marine biologists in Israel and abroad.

Video: Roy Vertzki, Shlomi Marco, Search Results Web results Dana Renninger

February of this year saw another rare visit to Israeli waters when a killer whale was caught on video off the northern coast, between Acre and Nahariya. That whale, identified as a male named Riptide, arrived from the direction of Iceland and at some point became separated from its pod.

Riptide has previously been seen off the coasts of Naples and Beirut. 

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INPA ranger Eyal Miller is tracking the whale's movements. The animal arrived from the direction of Iceland and at some point became separated from its pod and lost its way.

Video: Eyal Miller / Israel Nature and Parks Authority

Researchers think that the whale in question is a male known as Riptide, who in recent months has been seen off the coast of Napoli, Italy, as well as offshore of Beirut.

Marine biologist and Top Predator Project manager at the IMMRAC Dr. Aviad Scheinan told Israel Hayom that "This is a special sight. There is a reason people get excited when it comes to the most important apex predator in the ocean. This is a male killer whale that has grown to a length of about 10 meters (some 30 feet) and weighs 10 tons. This is something you see very occasionally, if at all, in our region."

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