WhaleSETI.org*

Our Mission

The mission of our research team is to systematically investigate and comprehend the intricacies of humpback whale communication as a unique avenue to contribute valuable data towards the determination of Drake’s Equation Factor F_i. Through rigorous empirical studies, acoustic analysis, and behavioral observations, we aim to unravel the complexities of humpback whale vocalizations, seeking to discern patterns, meanings, and potential modes of interspecies communication. By integrating our findings into the broader context of Drake’s Equation, we aspire to advance our understanding of the factors influencing the emergence of communicative intelligence in extraterrestrial civilizations. Through this interdisciplinary approach, our mission is to make significant strides in the quest to comprehend the prevalence and nature of communicative signals in the cosmos, ultimately contributing to the ongoing exploration of the potential for extraterrestrial life.

All donations given here will be used for this WhaleSETI research project: DONATE HERE

“Conversing” with a Humpback Whale Named Twain

In 2021, our team conducted a playback experiment in southeast Alaska in hopes of engaging a humpback whale. Dr. Brenda McCowan began our playback trial by using a hydrophone to record all underwater sounds for 20 minutes to establish a baseline for later comparison. Then, at the start of the next 20-minute period, she played back the ‘juicy’ contact call exemplar we had recorded the day before. The rest of us onboard were auditorily ‘blind’ and stationed around the boat as observers, videographers and photographers. Dr. McCowan, inside the main cabin glued to her laptop and ‘blind’ to the action outside, listened and waited. She played the exemplar a second time and then again a third, before a whale approached our vessel and made a ‘whup’ call of its own. Those of us outside watched as the whale approached, came up for air, then dove only to resurface at a different location close to our boat. Again, Dr. McCowan played the exemplar and again, the whale replied. The interchange continued for the full 20 minutes, the prescribed playback length allowed under our NOAA research permit (#19703). The whale we later identified as a 38-year-old female named Twain replied to our recorded whup call each of 33 times, engaging in conversational turn taking as she remained a mere 100 meters from our vessel. Twain periodically came to the surface to breathe, then dove back down and again joined in a call and response with our exemplar. Throughout the 20-minute exchange, Twain consistently matched the interval variations between each playback call, dynamically adjusted by Dr. McCowan in response to the whale’s own call timing. Effectively, Twain responded in a conversational style. 

We have described and analyzed the encounter in a paper entitled “Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as a Tool for Detecting and Exploring Nonhuman Intelligence: “Conversing” with an Alaskan Humpback Whale”published in the journal PeerJ. The importance of our call-and-response close encounter with a non-human (aquatic) intelligence cannot be overstated. Lead author Dr. Brenda McCowan has explained the significance of this whale conversation, stating, “We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback ‘language.’” And coauthor Dr. Fred Sharpe noted, “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”.  Coauthor Dr. Laurance Doyle added, “Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrials will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers. This important assumption is certainly supported by the behavior of humpback whales.”

All donations given here will be used for this WhaleSETI research project: DONATE HERE

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