"Sperm Whales Live In Culturally Distinct Clans, Research Finds"

"Study of sounds and feeding habits shows animals organise into female-based groups of up to 20,000".

"Sperm whales live in clans with distinctive cultures, much like those of humans, a study has found.

Using underwater microphones and drone surveys, Hal Whitehead, a sperm whale scientist at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada, examined the sounds the animals made and their feeding habits and found they organised themselves into groups of up to around 20,000.

The paper, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, said the clans were defined by variations in their vocalisations – distinctive, morse code-like sequences of clicks known as “codas”."

Philip Hoare reports for the Guardian January 9, 2024.