Sperm Whales in Caribbean Have Distinct Culture
The marine mammals form clans with their own unique dialects, a new study says.
Shane Gero and his team have discovered that each sperm whale social group in the region has its own clicking pattern, or dialect. (Also see "Whales With Caribbean Accents and Other Animal Dialects.")
What's more, each sperm whale that Gero observed socializes exclusively with other sperm whales that have the same accent.
The finding strengthens the idea that sperm whales throughout the world have different cultures, just like people. "It’s like how my Canadian passport tells you a little bit about who I am. I like hockey and I put maple syrup on everything," says Gero, a behavioral ecologist and founder of the Dominica Sperm Whale Project.
"The main way we identify these different cultures is their dialects,” he says.
