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Aussies Blubbering About Decoding Whale Speak

Scientists put meaning to clicks & squeals

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 8, 2007 6:12 AM CST

(Newser) – Australian scientists believe they've begun to decode the meaning behind whale sounds after extensive study of humpbacks off the nation's coast. They identified at least 34 types of whale calls, including a male purring sound associated with female wooing, high-frequency cries during disagreements, and a "wop" sound often exchanged between a mother whale and her offspring.

"The 'wop' was probably one of the most common sounds I heard, probably signifying a mum-calf contact call," explained one researcher, who noted similarities between whale and human social interaction. "They're obviously marine mammals, separated from terrestrial mammals for a long, long time, yet still seem to follow the same basic communication system," she said.

A humpback whale in New Zealand's Cook Strait, 27 June 2007.
A humpback whale in New Zealand's Cook Strait, 27 June 2007.   (Getty Images)
An adult humpback whale breaches.
An adult humpback whale breaches.   (Getty Images (by Event))
A pod of more then 12 Humpback Whales feed as a group using a technique known as bubblenet feeding, In the Saginaw channel near Juneau, Alaska, Tuesday, July 24, 2007.  (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)
A pod of more then 12 Humpback Whales feed as a group using a technique known as "bubblenet feeding," In the Saginaw channel near Juneau, Alaska, Tuesday, July 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)   (Associated Press)
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