![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4MWQAAU_Sperm_Whale_Group_Photo_by_Amanda_Cotton_Project_CETI_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nThe vocalised communications of sperm whales are closer to human language and speech pattern than previously thought, new research has discovered.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley made the discovery that the whales could form vowels within their vocalisations which behaved in the same way as human speech.<\/p>\n
The study was conducted by Project Ceti Settie, which stood for the Cetacean Translation Initiative, who last month released video of a sperm whale giving birth while other whales supported it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nA group of sperm whales.
\nPhoto: AMANDA COTTON \/ SUPPLIED\n<\/p>\n
Study lead, Professor Ga\u0161per Begu\u0161, told Morning Report, people had described the way whales spoke to each other as similar morse code up until now.<\/p>\n
“If you look closely and think about their timing as very slow you realise actually the patterns we see are much richer and much more similar to human vowels.<\/p>\n
“They also produce these vowels in the same ways we do but with their noses.”<\/p>\n
He said it was fascinating to see how much more similar they were to humans when you realised it was all just about timing.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4L3F40S_CETI_Core_Whale_Listening_Station_Photo_by_Project_CETI_JPG.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\nA whale listening station used by Project Ceti Settie.
\nPhoto: Project Ceti \/ SUPPLIED\n<\/p>\n
“We observed the same vowels in several situations now when they are giving birth, before they hunt, when they socialise.”<\/p>\n
The whales “really liked” to talk to each other, Begu\u0161 said, and it was thought the conversations may be meaningful.<\/p>\n
“I think what we are observing is that there is complexity that is unprecedented and that is suggesting maybe they’re talking about something very complex.”<\/p>\n