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U.S. Navy
The white whale known as NOC used its nasal passages to make humanlike sounds.
The noise sounds like the kind of "dum-diddy-dah" tune folks might sing to themselves while they're strolling along the beach — but it's actually the voice of a white beluga whale, mimicking human conversation by blurping air through its blowhole. The strange case of the whale named NOC marks the first time that scientists could study a marine mammal in the very act of "talking" like a human, using a most unhuman method.
"I think he was looking for feedback," Sam Ridgway, president of the National Marine Mammal Foundation, told me. "These animals make a lot of sound, and they like feedback."
For years, NOC was part of the U.S. Navy's Marine Mammal Program in San Diego, which was aimed at studying whether whales, dolphins, seals and other marine mammals could do underwater reconnaissance or perhaps even disable mines. NOC was captured in 1977 in Canada's Hudson Bay and brought down to California to work with researchers and divers. (He was the smallest of the pack, and Ridgway says that led to the nickname "no-see-um," or NO-C for short.)
Seven years later, the researchers noticed that NOC spontaneously started making unusual sounds — "as if two people were conversing in the distance just out of range for our understanding," they reported in the journal Current Biology. One time, a diver came to the surface outside NOC's enclosure and asked his colleagues, "Who told me to get out?" They soon concluded it was the whale, which must have been saying "Out, out, out."
That led Ridgway and other researchers to make a series of recordings of NOC's sounds, at the surface and underwater. They found that the pitch and the amplitude rhythm was similar to human speech. "Whale voice prints were similar to human voice and unlike the whale's usual sounds," Ridgway said in a news release. "The sounds we heard were clearly an example of vocal learning by the white whale."
A team of marine biologists from San Diego are saying the audio recordings of a white whale named Noc, which they studied for three decades, prove he had the unique ability to lower his pitch to mimic the sounds of human voices. NBC's Mara Schiavocampo reports.
Although this was way out of the norm for whales, it's not unheard of: Back in the 1940s, biologists reported that whale calls could occasionally sound like the voices of children shouting in the distance. In the 1970s, there was a beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium that could reportedly make sounds like garbled Russian or Chinese, and even say his name ("Lugosi"). However, NOC afforded the first opportunity to study scientifically how a whale could make such sounds.
The San Diego researchers hooked up pressure sensors inside and just above NOC's nasal cavity. The readings suggested that the whale varied the air pressure inside the nasal tract, expelling air through vibrating phonic lips to make the kinds of sounds that come from a human's vocal cords. In short, the whale had figured out an alien way to talk like a human.
"We do not claim that our whale was a good mimic compared to such well-known mimics as parrots or mynah birds," the researchers write. "However, the sonic behavior we observed is an example of vocal learning by the white whale. It seems likely that NOC's close association with humans played a role in how often he employed his human voice, as well as in its quality."
About four years after NOC started talking like a human, he stopped. The whale continued to vocalize, but those sounds were just the typical whistles, squawks, rasps, yelps and barks. In 1999, NOC died. "We never got his best speech imitation" on tape, Ridgway said — but the existing recordings were more than enough to set the researcher thinking about the potential.
"Whether or not the whale knows what he's saying, other than mimicking what he heard, probably should be explored further," Ridgway told me. "Certainly I think there's a lot we could learn about their sound production. What we'd like, primarily, is for them to tell us how they interact with their ocean environment. How deep can you dive? How long can you stay underwater? What frequencies can you hear? Can you hear the same sounds at the surface and at depth? Describe what you observe with your sonar."
Japanese researchers are already working on a dolphin speech translator. Maybe a talking whale isn't that far behind. But what would the dolphins and the whales tell us? "Thanks for all the fish"? Or "thanks for nothing, you damn dirty humans"?
More about animal intelligence:
- Audio: Listen to the whale that talked like a human
- Dolphins appear to do nonlinear mathematics
- Studies focus on what animals are thinking
- There's more than one path to intelligence
- Gallery: The world's 10 smartest species
- Flash interactive: All about whales
In addition to Ridgway, the authors of "Spontaneous Human Speech Mimicry by a Cetacean" include Donald Carder, Michelle Jeffries and Mark Todd.
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
It almost sounded like "home on the Range" sung through a kazoo.
Nonsense, the whale clearly said, "Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!"
Are they sure that was the whale? It sounded like a drunk. lol
[Translation] I can't believe Romney might win. Haven't you people done damage to my habitat? Just wait till we grow legs again and then we'll... [the rest of the whale's statement is too inappropriate to print]
Pretty cool! At first I would have sworn they were referring to Chris Christie when it comes to talking whales!
Leave our Crispy Creme out of this.
Sounds like Kermit to me.
There are animals on this planet that are a hell of alot smarter than we give them credit for. I think, as humans, we just believe since they can't communicate with us they must be less intelligent.
I'm getting on my soap box to say, "If animals are less intelligent than us, why is it us destroying the one and only habitat we possess and not them". I don't think collectively we are as smart as we think we are and I think alot of other mammals are way smarter than we think they are....especially whales...
If they're so smart, why can't they make a decent raisin scone?
I ask the same of my local Starbucks. I don't think they're human either. :o
lol. Perhaps because they know eating lots of raisin scones will make them fat?
Doug, because raisin scones are gross. But their orange sweet rolls are to die for yummy.
well until they can figure out not to get caught in nets, I'm not gonna buy into your theory. Or keep falling for getting caught on hooks, or hey humans are dangerous maybe we should not go near them. Of course some animals are smarter, but I don't know how far I'd look into that.
Same could be said for dogs and cats and how they show affection, or it could just be, someone walk me or feed me, hey this is the person that feeds me so I'll brush up against their leg, recognition is about as far as I'll go
More likely a whale would say, "Get those sensors out of my blowhole. They itch like crazy."
It sounds like Patrick from Sponge Bob.
Clearly that was his imitation of Romney losing a debate.
Sounded more like Biden mastrabating to child porn.
Like a crow, peacock, or parrot. Mimicry of a sound isn't speech. Speech involves use of grammar, context, etc. and communication to convey meaning. Stupid people who love to anthropomorphize will love this article.
I think stupidity can be defined as someone opening an entertaining article and calling it, and those who like it, stupid.
There are times where it pays to try and come off as smart, and times when you just seem plain stupid and dull.
I prefer to think of them as naive and childish, rather than 'stupid.' At least when presented with a reasonable explanation of their tendency to anthropomorphize, they don't stubbornly insist that the animals possess symbolic language.. unlike religious fundies who insist God exists and He made everything, often going far beyond naivete and into a labyrinth of sophistry.
I think if you are using Newsvine, or any news article, to prove how intelligent you are, you have already lost..
LOL
Anson Pantz
It's not anthropomorphizing to express interest in an animal's human-like vocalizations nor is it anthropomorphizing to research the possibility for greater trans-species communication. Just because people ask "what if" does not make them stupid - it makes them curious and more scientist-like than those who would just belittle others for no reason. No, this article no where near describes a demonstration of language by the whale but it doesn't claim to. Then the article explores the topic of communicating with whales which isn't stupid either. You do not need language to communicate - obviously we can train dogs and mice without language and many animals communicate with each other without apparent language so your anthropocentric view of communication is tired and pointless.
@TFNJ:
"Clearly that was his imitation of Romney losing a debate." comment #5
"I think stupidity can be defined as someone opening an entertaining article and calling it, and those who like it, stupid. There are times where it pays to try and come off as smart, and times when you just seem plain stupid and dull."
Right, TFNJ, because making this article about Romney made YOU look like a genius.
If the comment about Romney above bugged you so much, you are welcome to reply to it, and not use this vine as a little extra help. What you do is click on the word "Reply" on THAT post.
I thought I saw "47%" stamped on the whale's side.
TFNJ, I can reply anywhere and any way I want to. You don't get to make the rules, you don't get to tell other people what to do, and yes, you made yourself look stupid when you dragged your politics into a completely unrelated article about a whale - and than had the balls to call someone ELSE stupid over their comment. That was hilarious.
"TFNJ, I can reply anywhere and any way I want to." LMAO>> Nah nah Nah Nah
Romney and this whale have a lot in common. They just repeat everything they hear.
I was giving you a chance to respond to the message and prove yourself a little better. Doesn't matter to me where I pick on you. Teehee
OK TFNJ, quit feeding the troll. LOL
In reply to anthropomorphizing another species, it's all we got. We can't get in their heads, it would be mostly alien to our species. Using our background of emotions, feelings and experience, we take a shot at understanding others, whether they are other species or humans that have alien mind sets.
Anson Pantz
you think the first words a baby speaks has proper grammar? they are just like the whale Mimic first, put a line together second to convey a feeling use grammar third to make all you educated think you are educated.
LOL sorry. I was trying to take it to my original post so as to not bother others in this topic, but no dice. I was enjoying that, but I will stop.
On the anthropomorphizing, I have a problem with him saying that if you love animal behavior, or think this report is cute and entertaining, then you must be stupid. That analysis makes him come off as stupid and curmudgeon.
Anson, I suggest re-writing your last post so that you don't become what you most fear.
it is a song by Bob Dylan or the
"
"
So, Tony, I see you're up to your usual mischief.
LOL, yeah needed a little entertainment yesterday. I have a Mr Hyde inside.
Anson - language isn't an all-or-none event, an animal doesn't either possess it or lack it. It exists in gradations. To define language purely in human terms is anthropocentric, which in my opinion is even MORE idiotic and scientifically stunted then antrhopomorphizing an animal. That is the same erroneous logic that led many to conclude that animals were not conscious, or didn't possess emotion, or couldn't possibly possess cognition. All of those assumptions have now been definitively refuted by people with an open mind.
A number of species have been observed to possess a rudimentary form of language, including certain vocalizations that mean specific things. And, for the record, parrots do not solely mimic but rather understand to a degree what they are saying. Alex the African Grey was the most infamous animal for which this was demonstrated, but it has been observed countless times really. Moreover, vocal language is just one type of potential communication in the animal kingdom - body language, chemical language, and communication via chromatophores are others.
And finally, animals with a highly developed form of echolocation - such as cetaceans and bats - are used to study the neurological development of language as an analog for humans. Bet ya didn't know that, did you?
Source: Veterinary neurologist
All I really do is immitate everything I've heard since birth.
Good post Eric0038
Stupid people who underestimate our fellow living creatures and Mother Earth will hate this article.
Bang, bang, Maxwell. Bring more of that down on their heads.
Hopefully my reply up above roundly refuted him beyond a reasonable doubt. If not, I will bring out the big guns.
What is funny though is that a certain degree of anthropomorphizing is scientifically acceptable. We are, after all, mammals - and our neurological anatomy from the telencephalon down is highly, highly conserved. These people don't even want to be a part of the animal kingdom, I think - they erroneously believe they are special or something, distinct among creation.
They aren't.
There is a lot to said about the history of mankind relating to intellegence. Not so intellegent when it came to killing off Native American Indians. Not so intellegent when it came to killing off Jews. Not so intellegent when it comes to polluting the one and only planet that allows us to be alive. Not so intellegent when we put corporation profits over people, the planet, our oceans, the air we breath. Not so intellegent thinking humans are the only intellegent beings. Not so intellegent thinking dolphins and whales do not have any intellegence. Not so intellegent could go on and on with different scenarios. We need some wisdom to understand our own intellegence.
Whatever...it sounded cute and made my day. Let's just enjoy the moment.
that's the spirit. I enjoyed it too.
It may not be speech, but I think that qualifies as vocalization or mimicry, and pretty good, too! I hope they find another one that wants to learn to communicate. They DO have the largest brains on the planet, btw.
When you speak under water it sounds just like that. I wish I could hear it speaking outside water. See how close it is to a human voice.
And to the whale, he might have though it sounded perfect.
Next we will teach the whale to sing Michael Jackson songs.
Moonwalking might be tough, but the pitch would be close.
He does a hell of a robot
Maybe someone will take the time to help Joe Biden speak as clearly. NOoooooooM.
Why are the Japanese working on a dolphin speech translator? So they can better interpret and enjoy the suffering of the dolphins when they stab them to death for food?
Perhaps the scientist working on communication are not the same people as the whalers or those that eat whale ? Of course then you would have to admit that Japanese people are not a monolith.
Even talking birds such as parrots have been known to make their own sentences. And elephants can paint a picture of themselves holding a flower in their trunk. And apes can talk with sign language. Etc.
Simply put, non-human species aren't always as lacking in intelligence as many people assume.
Intelligence and awareness cannot be narrowly defined in accordance with 21st Century Western homo sapien standards.
Whales are actually more highly developed than humans. They are highly intelligent, consciously multi-dimensional beings who serve a specific earth energy purpose.
That we simply hunt and kill these beautiful and sensitive beings for sport and for substances for which substitutes can be found is globally self-destructive and surely one of the saddest failures of the current human race.
Human dolphin or whale vocal communicating would be exciting. I hope the Japanese have success with their attempts at communicating with dolphins. Dolphins and whales are very intelligent creatures. I would be greatly interested in what they would have to say to humans. I think such communications could have the effect of transforming the way human beings interact with these beings.
Am I the only one creeped out by the picture at the top of the article? o.o
Yeah me too. Reminds me of the creature on Alien 3.
I clearly heard him say "Give me your clothes, boots, and motorcycle". Then something about, He'll be back.
This whale should audition for a rock band.
Sounded just like Axil Rose
The Hitchhikers Guide reference at the end of the article made my... well, not quite my whole day, but it definitely made my next 10 minutes :)
It made my day that you noticed ;-)
Oh wow..... Now THAT is cool.
How we continue to slaughter animals that have far greater intelligence than we dare give them credit for is beyond me.
It's deplorable and a sign of just what a low species we really are.
This finally made you recognize that humans can be vile and cruel? How about the BILLIONS of humans killed by other humans over the years??
come on we all know it's Bush's fault
I bet that if this whale had Ringya on his smartphone he could put many humans in his contact list. ha, ha...
Hey Facebook, leave Ringya alone
This is cool, but not terribly new, bottlenosed dolphins have been occasionally observed doing this (and sometimes encouraged to) for decades now...
Dude, I know this song. Macarron Chacarron on youtube!
More than awesome if a creature on this planet could decipher our language before we could understand their language. What would that say about intelligence and how would we respond?
The whale sounds like my friend Lydia. I wonder what she was doing swimming with a whale?