Media Releases and Opportunities

Scientists studying sperm whales have over decades of research determined that females belong to clans, which are distinguished by their distinctive vocalizations and behaviour. The clans are large, containing thousands of members and spanning thousands of kilometres.

They have also learned that although two or more clans may use the same waters, their members do not socialize with each other.

In a new paper in Royal Society Open Science, Dr. Hal Whitehead of Dalhousie University examines how that behaviour may bear strong similarities to human social associations, finding a close parallel when it comes to how humans form ethno-linguistic groups.

Unexpected discoveries about the societies of our ancestors can help guide studies of sperm whale clans. Conversely, the existence of sperm whale clans may have implications for understanding human social evolution.

Dr. Whitehead is available to discuss this expansive overview of sperm whale research and what the similarities between sperm whale clans and human ethno-linguistic groups mean for our understanding of sperm whale and human societies.

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Media contact:

Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University 
Cell: 1-902-220-0491 
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca