Researchers Managed To Have a 20-Minute 'Conversation' With a Humpback Whale Named Twain

Communication is one intricate thread that binds all of existence. Every living being, human or nonhuman, likes to communicate. Humans are fortunate that their brains are bejeweled with a treasure trove of words but animals haven’t yet evolved the senses required for language-based communication. This doesn’t make them any less instinctual. Animals, in fact, display more sensitivity towards the things that humans might not even be able to perceive. For instance, a 2021 research throws light on the “superlative hearing prowess” of humpback whales after scientists had a 20-minute call with a female humpback whale named Twain. Details of the extraordinary “whup/throp” encounter were published in Peer J.

Twain was known to scientists since the 1980s when she was spotted in Hawaii. That day in 2021, a team of six scientists was onboard their research vessel “Glacier Seal,” which was drifting with engines off the coast in Frederick Sound, Alaska. Intending to communicate a message to the whale, they used a single underwater Lubell speaker deployed on the port side of the bow and two hydrophones deployed on the port and starboard side of the bow. To their surprise, Twain responded to the “contact call” a few minutes after they transmitted the message.

The call went on for 20 minutes. In a press release, SETI researchers described that Twain “approached and circled the team’s boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale ‘greeting signal.’” In the paper, they noted that the 38+ year-old adult female remained within 100 metres of their research vessel during the entire playback period. They also recorded the variations in amplitude that Twain’s voice depicted. “Twain’s recorded whup calls were of high amplitude, ranging from −21 to −43 decibels,” they explained, adding that the calls dropped significantly in amplitude as she departed.

“We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback 'language,” lead author Brenda said in a press release. Co-author Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation said, “Humpback whales are extremely intelligent, have complex social systems, make tools - nets out of bubbles to catch fish, and communicate extensively with both songs and social calls.”

The research was conducted by a team of scientists from the SETI Institute, the University of California Davis, and the Alaska Whale Foundation. They believe that this encounter could be the first step towards communication with non-human intelligence. This project was part of “Whale-SETI,” which has been researching humpback whale communication systems, aiming to develop intelligence filters for the search for extra-terrestrial life. Their initiatives to communicate with non-human animals would pave a pathway to communicate with aliens, they believe.

Communication, typically, is different for different animals. Animals use clues like vibration, percussion, stridulation, bioluminescence, gaze, and gesticulation to talk to each other. In the case of humpback whales, the method is “hearing.” The authors explain in the paper that humpback whales have been trailing in Earth’s oceans for 60 million years, probably even before humans emerged into existence. With a large auditory cortex and clusters of spindle neurons in their bodies, these creatures possess a sharp sense of both high-frequency and low-frequency sounds. For them, the ocean is a soundscape that they trace for distinct sounds for just about every purpose.

Communication with this sonic-intelligent being, therefore, offered an excellent opportunity to scientists to learn how to approach other non-human animals as well as to arrive at a greater understanding of vocal communication. In Twain’s case specifically, the observations were recorded in three phases of her interaction: Engagement, Agitation, and Disengagement. These phases were divided starting from when Twain approached their vehicle to the moment when she oriented away, her tail slipping away, leaving a trail of chilling echoes for the six people aboard the boat. If they can communicate with Twain, perhaps a future communication with a Martian alien is already on the cards.