Sperm whales in the Mediterranean Sea don't all speak the same way — the eastern and western populations use a different "accent." This is shown by a new study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, which analyzed thousands of their underwater clicks. University of Bristol ↗
Biologist Taylor Hersh of the University of Bristol and her colleagues examined 5,291 so-called codas — short sequences of clicks — recorded between 2003 and 2021. The pattern "click-click-click – click" is shared, but near the Balearic Islands the animals click it out slowly, while between Greece and Crete they do so faster and more variably. Genetic analyses confirmed that the two populations are almost isolated from each other. SRF ↗
Sperm whales arrived in the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic about 20,000 years ago and colonized it from west to east — which is why the western dialect is older. The eastern groups still "remember" it and occasionally insert the slower version, but the reverse does not happen. Scientists consider this evidence of cultural evolution in animals. Only a few thousand sperm whales still live in the sea today, and they are threatened by shipping traffic. Proceedings of the Royal Society B ↗
Sperm whales in the Mediterranean Sea speak two dialects. Eastern whales click faster than western ones
🔥 You might also like
📰
World Politics
Israel extended the detention of two activists from the Gaza flotilla, Spain and Brazil protest
An Israeli court in Ashkelon ruled to extend the detention of two activists from the humanitarian flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip. They are Brazilian Thiago …
Európska politika
Storm damages the sea barrier near Ceuta before Morocco’s elections. The government says the underwater net is holding; an on-site report says the route is open
The barrier near Ceuta was damaged by a storm. A government delegation says the underwater net is holding, while an on-site report says the route is open again. …
📰
German Politics
Wadephul in North Africa seeks gas and migration cooperation
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul discusses energy, economic cooperation and migration during his trip to Tunisia and Algeria. In Algeria he signaled Berl …
Geographic locations
From our newsroom original
All →EU delisted Usmanov and Fridman, Baku freed a Frenchman hours later
The White House launched Trump TV after banning media access
Pellegrini will dismiss Taraba, Fico could temporarily lead the environment ministry
3,000 bottles of Barolo vanished from a Piedmont winery. Thieves loaded them onto the winery's own forklifts and drove them off in vans they pushed to the road with the engines off
René Benko Gets Two and a Half Years for Fraudulent Insolvency. Verdict Not Final, Signa Founder Denies Guilt
Tisza rejects candidate for Hungarian prosecutor general
What Europe is writing about: EU fails to agree on lifting sanctions against Russian oligarchs, White House boycott expands to include Fox and CBS, Berlin addresses antisemitism dispute
What Czechia is writing about: The budget has the second-largest deficit ever — Fico continues to face criticism over his remarks about NATO
