Current location:entertainment >>
Scientists are learning the basic building blocks of sperm whale language after years of effort
entertainment82869People have gathered around
IntroductionROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island o ...
ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island of Dominica have described for the first time the basic elements of how they might be talking to each other, in an effort that could one day help better protect them.
Like many whales and dolphins, sperm whales are highly social mammals and communicate by squeezing air through their respiratory systems to make strings of rapid clicks that can sound like an extremely loud zipper underwater. The clicks are also used as a form of echolocation to help them track their prey.
Scientists have been trying for decades to understand what those clicks might mean, with only minimal progress. While they still don’t know, they now think there are sets of clicks they believe make up a “phonetic alphabet” that the whales can use to build the very rough equivalent of what people think of as words and phrases.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“World Window news portal”。http://christmasisland.quotesbonanza.com/article-52b199844.html
Related articles
Gone fishing... for some of New Zealand's trickiest trout: A stay at the world
entertainmentThe rotor blades are deafening as our chopper swoops down onto a rocky outcrop beside the Mokihinui ...
Read moreWhakaari/White Island owners appealing criminal conviction
entertainmentView of Whakaari / White Island from a monitoring flight on 31 August, 2022. Photo: GNS ...
Read moreSecond murder charge laid after death of Ōpōtiki Mongrel Mob Barbarians president Steven Taiatini
entertainmentA 38-year-old woman is expected to appear in court on the murder charge. Photo: 123RF ...
Read more
Popular articles
- Biden condemns antisemitism in Holocaust remembrance speech
- KiwiRail seeks advice to extend life of Interislander Kaitaki ferry
- Chinese media levels Australian spy claim
- Rising costs, working from home blamed for hospitality struggles
- Mother throws her disabled six
- Better funding could prevent more drownings
Latest articles
Apple's biggest announcements from its iPad event: new sizes, faster chips
Ai Weiwei mourns Hong Kong freedoms but is 'proud' of Tiananmen middle
Green Party activist puts forward radical manifesto in leadership bid
Tear gas as crowds clash with riot police in Russia
Pope Francis appoints new bishop in Tennessee after former bishop's resignation under pressure
Whakaari/White Island owners appealing criminal conviction
LINKS
- Airshow China kicks off in port city Zhuhai
- Malaysia installs new king
- Interview: Nigeria would learn from Chinese model of development
- Explainer: What to expect from AU summit as education, development take center stage
- Xi affirms nation's commitment to future of humanity
- Xi visits people in Tianjin ahead of Spring Festival
- China Coast Guard stops four Philippine individuals from intruding into Huangyan Island
- Wang: China willing to work for global peace and security
- Chinese, Australian FMs hold strategic dialogue
- Xi affirms nation's commitment to future of humanity