How decoding beluga whales’ chitchat may save them – and teach us more about ourselves
Researchers are using AI and drone technology to decode the complex communication patterns of beluga whales in the Arctic. By analyzing these vocalizations, scientists hope to gain deeper insights into animal culture and social structures.
Why it matters
Understanding non-human communication can provide profound insights into the evolution of intelligence and social behavior across species.
Four sperm whales off Dominica in the Caribbean. The species has ‘really beautiful societies’ built around female relationships, says one admiring researcher. Photograph: Amanda Cotton/Project Ceti From humpbacks learning the latest songs to sperm whales’ ‘clan codas’, drones and AI learning are helping reveal another dimension to the concept of culture
About this content Thu 27 Aug 2026 05.02 EDT Last modified on Thu 27 Aug 2026 05.03 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google I n 2015, the whale researcher Valeria Vergara pitched a small tent at the icy water’s edge on Somerset Island in the remote Canadian high Arctic, shrouded in a freezing fog so thick she struggled to see her own hands. She trailed a cord out to the coast and plopped a hydrophone into the water to record the calls of belugas.
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