How do whales communicate with each other?
The short answer
Whales communicate in their pods using a variety of sounds, such as clicks, squeaks, whistles, groans, and pulses to share information about who is talking, where everyone is, and coordinating migration and hunting. Some species of whales even create structured songs that they sing for hours at a time.
The long answer
It's hard to see and smell in the ocean, so underwater creatures have to rely on sound for their primary sense. Whales in particular have incredibly complex forms of communication.
There are two types of whales: toothed and baleen (filter-feeding). These whales have different ways of getting their message across.
Toothed whales
Look at these smiles! :D | "Odontoceti Diversity" by PaleoNeolitic is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Toothed whales (like killer whales, beluga whales, dolphins, and sperm whales) use squeaks, whistles, clicks, chirps, and trills to communicate and navigate. (Click on those links to have a listen 🔊)
Squeaks and whistles are used as a way of communicating within pods. Each whale uses a different pitch and speed to identify who is speaking. Scientists even believe that every bottlenose dolphin develops a signature whistle, akin to a name. These squeaks and whistles are meant to communicate who is around. It's even been observed that if mother and baby dolphins get separated, they call out their whistles to each other until they are reunited.
But the primary sound that toothed whales emit are clicks. When toothed whales click multiple times in a row, they are thought to be communicating with other whales in the area. Pods of sperm whales share a distinctive pattern of clicks, likely to help coordinate with migration and group hunting.
While technically not communication, these clicks serve another purpose as well: echolocation. Long before humans developed sonar, whales were using it to navigate the ocean and identify prey. Toothed whales use single clicks to send out a sound wave and wait for the returning wave to indicate how far away an object is, like the ocean floor or an unfortunate squid. It's theorized that sperm whales also use their loud clicks to stun their prey.
Fun fact: Sperm whales are so loud that a human could literally vibrate to death if they were within a few feet of the whale when it made a click noise.
Baleen whales
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Baleen whales (like blue whales, humpback whales, and Gray whales) are more solitary creatures than toothed whales. But they communicate to each other from a distance through song using both tonal and pulsing sounds.
Baleen whales use low-frequency sounds that can be heard over tremendously long distances (thousands of kilometers at a time!). And some species produce melodic tunes called whale songs. Whale songs – like human songs – have a basic structure of phrases repeated several times to make up a theme. A typical whale song has 5-7 themes that are repeated in a sequential order. Since songs are most often sung by male whales in breeding grounds, it's thought that the main purpose is to attract mates or demoralize other males.
One of the most interesting things about whale songs is that they are an example of cultural transmission. Separate whale pods who migrate near each other have been found to swap patterns and incorporate them into their pods' own typical repertoire.
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Sources
Arsdale, V. (n.d.). Whale Sounds Lab. Mr. Van Arsdale. https://mrvanarsdale.com/marine-science/online-textbook/chapter-2-cetaceans/whale-sounds-lab/
Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. (2021, October 3). Whales, dolphins and sound. DCCEEW. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/marine/marine-species/cetaceans/whale-dolphins-sound
Dolphin Communication. Dolphin Research Center. (n.d.). https://dolphins.org/communication
Hartery, S. (2022, September 1). Sperm Whales Are So Loud They Could Potentially “Vibrate” You to Death. Roaring Earth. https://roaring.earth/sperm-whales-can-vibrate-humans-to-death/
Jervis Bay Wild. (2023, March 13). How Do Whales and Dolphins Communicate?. Jervis Bay Wild. https://www.jervisbaywild.com.au/blog/whales-dolphins-communicate/
Luo, Z. (1997). How Whales Hear. https://carnegiemuseums.org/magazine-archive/1997/julaug/feat4.htm
TED-Ed. (2016). Why do whales sing?YouTube. Retrieved July 2, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xr9BYhlceA&ab_channel=TED-Ed.
University of Rhode Island and Inner Space Center. (2017, July 9). Audio Gallery: Marine Mammals. Discovery of Sound in the Sea. https://dosits.org/galleries/audio-gallery/marine-mammals/
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (2012, April 17). Study amplifies understanding of hearing in baleen whales. Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2012-04-amplifies-baleen-whales.html
