Sperm Whales Form Culturally Distinct, Female Based Societies

Sometimes known as whale nations, these clans are tens of thousands strong.

Mother Sperm Whale and Her Calf — Image Source: WikiCommons

If you’ve read much of my writing, you’ve probably recognized some themes. One of which is that we humans aren’t as different from the rest of the animal kingdom as we assume. It’s easy for us to separate ourselves and view our unique capabilities as superior to all other species on Earth. However, new research challenges that perspective, forcing us to reevaluate our supposed superior intelligence.

I’ve discussed several examples in this newsletter of scientists discovering many similarities between us and other animals. All of these call into question the idea that humans are Earth’s only highly intelligent species. Now, I’m adding another one. It turns out that sperm whales form culturally distinct clans that can reach tens of thousands in size and behave in ways that researchers describe as “tribal.”

Sperm Whales

At 400,000 pounds (20 tons), the iconic Antarctic blue whale may be the largest known animal on Earth, but sperm whales are the largest-toothed whale. They also have the biggest brains and the most powerful sonar of any animal on the planet and live in oceans worldwide. Male sperm whales can grow 60 feet (18 meters)…