Overview
- UC Berkeley and Project CETI researchers report discrete a- and i-like spectral patterns and diphthong-like combinations in sperm whale codas published November 12.
- The team applied generative adversarial networks and removed inter-click gaps to reveal frequency-modulation differences that can sound like distinct click and clack types.
- Data came from DTAG suction-cup recordings on 15 whales off Dominica between 2014 and 2018, yielding nearly 4,000 codas focused on tagged individuals.
- Authors argue whales actively modulate timing and frequency to produce these categories across individuals, while noting broader validation efforts are underway.
- Marine biologists urge caution, citing potential recording artifacts or arousal-related effects and emphasizing the need for replication and behavioral evidence linking the patterns to meaning.