this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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I was going to say sperm whale but not because they have sperm in the name.
Of all the whales, sperm whales are though to have the most complex language, and they're highly social.
They are also the loudest creatures on the planet, capable of communicating over 100s of kilometers, maybe even over a 1000 km. Sometimes, free divers that swim with the whales have their body heat up from being pelleted with clicks.
Also related, one of the coolest scientific projects going right now is CETI, the cetacean translation initiative, using machine learning to try and understand whale communication. youtube link
In 1820 a sperm whale attacked a whaling vessel, the Essex, and killed most of the crew—the survivors faced starvation and resorted to cannibalism. What’s cool is it sounds like the whale did this intentionally.