Came here to ask a question I've always wondered - Can different whale species communicate/'talk' with each other?
Posted by Skiingfun@reddit | whales | View on Reddit | 74 comments
I have always wondered if there's any evidence or indications that different whale species can talk to each other? Communicate with each other? (Understanding that talking to each other and communicating with each other are different things)
Jollybio@reddit
I could have sworn I heard something about this recently. Maybe in National Geographic's amazing show Secrets of the Whales. They found beluga/narwhal hybrids (Idk if this is the first time ever reported but first time I've heard of it for sure). So, in order to mate I'm sure belugas and narwhals have to be able to communicate.
fish_whisperer@reddit
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but animal mating is not always consensual.
IceFloeTurtle@reddit
I'm pretty sure it was joke, though I don't think belugas are known to rape to the extent of most dolphins (though I could be wrong)
fish_whisperer@reddit
Are you aware you’re responding to a comment over 7 months old?
Shrekeyes@reddit
Yeah, what a weirdo.
IceFloeTurtle@reddit
ok and? what does that have to do with anything
West_Maximum_5137@reddit
Communication is key to any healthy relationship.
wes_rules@reddit
So, a) Do orcas eat other whales? b) Does this mean they can talk to the other whales they're about to eat?
IceFloeTurtle@reddit
yes, which is kinda f#cked up now that I think about it, but I must remember we cannot project human morals onto animals
IceFloeTurtle@reddit
Also just because they can doesn't necessarily mean that they do, like I typically don't talk the sandwich I'm about to eat
Unslaadahsil@reddit
I think (can't remember it clearly) that a documentary once commented on how all cetaceans have some elements of vocal and body language in common, and so can communicate within certain limitations, in theory (aside from the typical animal understanding of "this is a threat display" or "I'm not a threat don't attack me" and similar body language).
I might just be confusing them with another group of animals or completely misremembering what they actually said though.
I don't have a source for any of this, so please take it with a grain of salt.
Skiingfun@reddit (OP)
Interesting - sort of (?) like how there are some universal behaviours or actions that different cultures - people - have? Like possibly laughing, crying, etc?
edemamandllama@reddit
Even in human language there are things that are almost always understood like the term okay. I’m not saying it’s 100% understood in all languages, but most people on the planet understand what okay means. Or the fact that the word for mom and dad is always very similar.
ScumBunny@reddit
Also, a nod and a head shake are pretty universally understood, as well as laughter, expressions of scorn, distaste, anger, happiness, sadness, etc.
I wonder if it’s similar with cetaceans. Like, they don’t have to understand the specifics, just the context clues? Curious.
randycanyon@reddit
We are all the same species, though.
Unslaadahsil@reddit
Yes, but unlike other animals who communicate through body language and sounds, we evolved to have such vastly different cultures and behaviors that our own separation might very well be bigger than if we were different species.
Just think about how we greet each other in the USA (typically a handshake, sometimes a hug among really close friends, a kiss on the cheek for close family maybe) compared to... dunno, Japan (bows, strict use of suffixes to indicate one's social position, physical contact is typically avoided).
While we all can make the same sounds, we are separated by language barriers that most animals of the same species do not have because their language is much more basic but universal. This is then compounded by the social norms we are used to and the common sense we were taught as children.
Diddly_eyed_Dipshite@reddit
I studied cetaceans for years and I also have no proof to back up that claim but would completely believe it, it's understandable that those lines of communication would be crossed with the similar mechanisms, frequencies and displays. Animal, and plant and others, communication is tricky and there's lots of knowledge gaps but what we do know is super interesting!
paperwasp3@reddit
It's my understanding that Orca from different pods have difficulty communicating with each other in captivity. Tilikum was housed at night with two female orca that were wild caught from the same pod, and different from his. They dogged him every night. It's thought that part of what drove him insane enough to kill his trainer was the isolation. He literally and figuratively had no one to talk to.
renjake@reddit
Well now I need to know
JubileeSailr@reddit
There's a documentary called The Lonliest Whale: The Seach for 52. Absolutely beautiful story.
blueyedwineaux@reddit
Going to watch it. Will probably cry.
JubileeSailr@reddit
I guarantee it.
Li_3303@reddit
Yes, it’s excellent! It’s about a whale who is unable to communicate with other whales.
MadamSeminole@reddit
Definitely. I care for bottlenose and rough-toothed dolphins at a rescue aquarium (they're in captivity because they can't be released into the wild due to various issues) and all our dolphins communicate with each other. Our rough-toothed dolphins are partially deaf and the bottlenose dolphins always click louder and get closer so the rough-toothed dolphins can hear them.
Also, wholphins in captivity in Hawaii are known to be able to communicate, despite being an entirely new organism with no established language or culture of their own. I assume they probably communicate in a bottlenose dolphin language since the first wholphin in captivity (Kekaimalu) had a bottlenose dolphin mother.
saveoursoil@reddit
Wholphin ?? Are we making gmo sea creatures now ?
MadamSeminole@reddit
A wholphin is the child of a bottlenose dolphin mother and a false killer whale father. Surprisingly, they’re fertile and can breed with other wholphins as well as bottlenose dolphins
blueyedwineaux@reddit
TIL
GirlScoutSniper@reddit
Today I learned.
Starr-Bugg@reddit
They must be very closely related, more so than a horse and donkey whose offspring, the mule, is sterile. Very interesting.
Dolphins like people, right? Even wild ones. How do false killer whales feel about people? Is a wholphin friendly like a dolphin?
Sabrobot@reddit
I wish that a horse donkey was called a honkey.
Active_Flight_3338@reddit
Let’s make this happen
Starr-Bugg@reddit
Me too!
MadamSeminole@reddit
Actually, the majority of hybrids are fertile. All bears can produce fertile offspring together, human-Neanderthal hybrids are fertile, and apparently dolphin hybrids are too.
Bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales both like people. False killer whales look a bit scary because of their teeth but they're totally harmless. I'm sure wholphins are very friendly.
saveoursoil@reddit
So why are they a new organism is both parent species have been around for centuries?
MadamSeminole@reddit
The parent species have been around for millions of years.
I meant a new organism in the sense that wholphins generally don’t exist out of captivity and they aren’t a species that has built their own language and culture over millennia like bottlenose dolphin pods have.
saveoursoil@reddit
So finally... again...to my original question why are we making genetically modified sea creatures? Just seems unnecessary
MadamSeminole@reddit
They aren’t really genetically modified. The first wholphin was made by making a dolphin and a false killer whale breed. Yes, it’s very unnecessary and unethical.
saveoursoil@reddit
Just so sad. You are modifying genetics even if it is just forced mating, doesn't mean a Petri dish always. Even corn and rice are genetically modified by humans because as we consume them, they don't exist in the wild that way. This is why you always see corn on the way out. Your body does not recognize it as nature.
MadamSeminole@reddit
There’s a big difference between forcing dolphins to have sex, which is basically rape given how intelligent they are, and selectively breeding plants for thousands of years. Literally every fruit, vegetable and grain we eat isn’t the same as it was before humans started growing it. We wouldn’t be able to eat most food without modifying it.
saveoursoil@reddit
Wow. Quite an unhinged edit. Y'all are outrageous. Have a nice night
GrowWings_@reddit
Wow, you're crazy
saveoursoil@reddit
?? Again why do you guys attack character rather than staying on argument. It's called ad hominem fallacy.
GrowWings_@reddit
It's not an attack on your character, it's an appeal to evaluate your world view like a rational person. Other people tried correcting you already and it didn't work. Gotta get less crazy first.
saveoursoil@reddit
Honey disagreeing with someone does not make that person psychologically ill-fit. I am happy to talk to you more if you are interested in returning to the original topic, a debate you interjected yourself into. I don't consent to being your punching bag.
GrowWings_@reddit
It's not that your misinformed about what a GMO is. You are right that most commercial crops are pretty different from how they evolved in nature. But selective breeding and cross-breeding isn't genetic modification, although they do both of those with things that are genetically modified.
And opinions can differ on whether GMOs are worth it overall. I think they're worth using if we're careful, but we often aren't and Monsanto is a very shitty company.
It's that you made unsubstantiated claims and had them refuted, but then kept saying the same things again. Or when someone tried to explain the real reason we don't digest corn completely is because the shell is cellulose, not because "the body doesn't recognize it as nature", you just deflected. But when I (stupidly) try to call you out on being unreasonable, you act like this is a healthy debate? It's not. It's like Ben Shapiro or something with a big "DEBATE ME" sign, but it's not a debate because nothing you say gets through to them. In order to debate you have to be able to listen to what people are saying to you and separate facts and basic definitions from your opinions.
Stalinbaum@reddit
Tf are you smoking cus I want some. Our body can't break it down because corn has an outer layer of cellulose and you aren't a cow with 4 stomachs, not because we've breed corn to produce bigger, tastier, more yellow kernels
saveoursoil@reddit
Nope I am saying corn itself is a hybrid of two grasses. It is not naturally occurring in nature until we cross breed these grasses to produce corn.
Stalinbaum@reddit
"This is why you always see corn on the way out. Your body does not recognize it as nature.".
What you said here is the only point of contention. Every part of corn is naturally occurring, the way it comes together to form the plant we recognize as corn may not be natural but that doesn't matter to our bodies at all.
saveoursoil@reddit
You could say a grapple is a naturally occurring fruit by this logic but if humans didn't put a grape and apple together, it still would not exist. Ability to reproduce does not make it natural. It's not my job to make you believe me. Our bodies know more than you and I.
Stalinbaum@reddit
Pfft you're on that ganja, keep prattling about GMOs and "unnatural corn" in your shit, it's bullshit
saveoursoil@reddit
??? I don't smoke dude. Sit down
JMBAD1222@reddit
He’s saying what you are saying makes as little sense as if you were smoking, which I would argue is both 1) true and 2) worse.
If your argument for why the human body struggles to digest corn is that it is not recognized as “natural” by the body, why, following that logic, would the body be able to recognize the ‘naturalness’ of a grapple? I would genuinely like to know
saveoursoil@reddit
Like how can I convince you I don't smoke? You guys are making false assumptions about my character rather than sticking to the points.
Your body knows a mother's touch. Your body knows when you are in danger. You body is not a machine to use and abuse... which is why i do not smoke !
JMBAD1222@reddit
No, I wasn’t saying— you know what, this has to be a troll actually, nevermind.
saveoursoil@reddit
Ask why your body can tell the difference from real weed and synethic THC...all the same chemicals but people have been having terrible reactions to it for years.
MadamSeminole@reddit
The ganja??? Don’t accuse her of smoking a plant that was selectively bred to get people more high.
(/s obviously)
katherrrrrine@reddit
This is too cute.
Starr-Bugg@reddit
You must share your job stores!
shinysilveon@reddit
Omg the wholesome
hdniki@reddit
I read somewhere that orcas are so smart that they can learn dolphin languages. I have no source though
renjake@reddit
They probably just talk smack to each other
hdniki@reddit
Hahaha, that paints a hilarious image in my mind
Single-Raccoon2@reddit
Great article! Thanks for sharing that.
Sandman11x@reddit
Yes. The communicate by sound. It is the way they find each other.
Whale population is in decline because they cannot reach each other due to ship noises
festivecomet666@reddit
I guess we will Google it for you and return with the answer. Hold please.
Starr-Bugg@reddit
I think they can. Heard stories of communication. It is probably not as clear to each other as their own species, but understandable enough.
Burntoastedbutter@reddit
People have already answered, but I do know that if it's frequency that's too high or low, nobody will understand them. Just look up the loneliest whale in the world )':::
SustineriVita@reddit
I'd imagine they can't in the sense that two humans who speak the same language could, given that there's 1000s of humans who can't understand each other.
I'd wonder if even all the different pods of the same species could communicate with each other.
But, they could probably communicate in some degree with each other in the way that we can communicate with dogs.
Animaldoc11@reddit
Yes, they definitely can & do
Laughorcryliveordie@reddit
There are hybrids between narwhals and other species. There was also a whale that communicated at a different frequency than those in its species. I think it tagged along with other cetaceans.
KindaKrayz222@reddit
I've always wondered that about all animals.
My_2Cents_666@reddit
A number of years ago I read an article about a dolphin who led two humpback whales (maybe mother and calf) out of an inlet that they couldn’t get out of, happened in Australia. I just googled it and there’s a recent story of something similar. Although the first story was a famous dolphin, who has since died.
My_2Cents_666@reddit
It was Moko and it was a Pygmy sperm whale mother and calf.
TesseractToo@reddit
They don't know enough about languages in cetaceans to know if they can understand each others vocalizations but sea creatures do commumicate and there is drone footage of things like humpback whales and dolphins playing together