Mediterranean Sperm Whales Have Their Own Dialects

Isolated groups of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Mediterranean Sea seem to have developed their own dialects of their species’ primary social vocalization, a pattern of clicks and pauses. Researchers analysed 20 years of audio recordings and found that whales in the Hellenic Trench, near Greece, use a faster version of the pattern than do whales around the Balearic Islands, between Gibraltar and Italy.