Sperm whales communicate using structured, rule-based click patterns that resemble human vowel systems and phonology, suggesting they may be composing complex messages — but researchers are still years away from decoding what they are actually saying.
Sperm whales may be speaking to each other in ways eerily similar to humans. According to research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the clicks sperm whales make — known as codas — aren’t just random noise. They follow structured, rule-based patterns that resemble human speech. Project CETI analyzed thousands of whale codas and identified distinct types labeled “a-codas” and “i-codas” that behave like vowels.
These sounds interact through phonology, the system humans use to organize meaningful exchanges. Whales may be shaping and combining clicks to modify meaning depending on context. They live in tight-knit communities, hunt together, and raise young collectively. The researchers aren’t ready to call it a full language yet. But with more time and better AI, decoding basic whale phrases could happen within years.