Scientists are using machine learning to decode and eventually translate how sperm whales communicate with Morse code-like clicks and pauses.
Canadian whale biologist Shane Gero described the once-in-a-lifetime experience as 'surreal'Scientists with Project CETI, an organization looking to translate sperm whale communication with advanced machine learning, captured the sights and sounds of an extremely rare event: the birth of a newborn calf.July 8th began like any other day for Canadian whale biologist Shane Gero, who was off the coast of the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica looking for a family of sperm whales.
It was kind of an unbelievable morning. We had been with the whales for about an hour and they were all grouped up, the entire family together, about 11 animals. And it's grandmothers, mothers and their daughters altogether. To have [the whales] all, sort of, writhing around like spinning spaghetti around your fork so elegantly and gracefully in the ocean was pretty unbelievable.
Then, of course, the boat went from sort of jubilation and excitement to, you know, very stressed and worried for the survival of the little one. A few hours later the calf was still around and playing with its cousins and its mom, so we know that the calf survived. But there were a few hours where everyone was very tense about what might happen next.
You talk about how the females gathered together to keep the baby up, to hold it up. There's that phrase, 'It takes a community to raise a child.' Is that true with these whales as well?