WHAT'CHOO TALKIN' ABOUT WILLY?

One of the many interesting things about orcas that make the species so intriguing is the whales’ brain. Their brains can weigh up to 15 pounds and even extends further than a human’s brain, holding an extra lobe that researchers have found to be adjacent to the orcas’ emotions. (Stay tuned for our next post, where we are diving into the emotional lobe a bit further.)

However, what is even more fascinating about the orcas’ brains is their ability to learn and develop languages. Orca language consists of whistles, clicks and calls that each orca can use to communicate with one another.

“Equally remarkable to researchers is the orca's ability to communicate with whistles and pulsed calls, and to "see" by making a clicking sound that works like sonar. Many cetaceans -- whales, dolphins and porpoises included -- have these abilities to some degree. But orcas learn local and complex languages that are retained for many generations. And their bio-sonar, or echolocation, abilities also amaze researchers. “

TALK THAT ORCA TALK

Researchers have concluded 2 astounding truths:

1. There are dialects similar to the human language in that, different pods can technically speak different languages. Although there are some similarities, especially if the pods live in close quarters-- but different pods pick up and form their own words. Accents, if you will.

-Some of the first evidence of cultural differences among orcas came from studies of vocalizations in whales that frequent the coastal waters of British Columbia and Washington State. Such “residents” belong to four clans, each with multiple groups. While the clans live close together—their ranges even overlap—their vocalizations are as different as Greek and Russian. And smaller groups called pods have dialects akin to a Southern drawl or a clipped New England accent. “

​2. ​Orcas and their brains have the ability to learn new clicks from new cliques- whether other orcas, whales OR there are even cases that have been found of orcas learning dolphin vocalization.

- Most animals communicate with innate sounds, such as the barking of dogs and the gobbling of turkeys. But some species, humans, for example, can imitate new sounds and learn how to use them correctly in social situations. This ability, called vocal learning, is one of the foundations of language (Ex: song-birds).

Researchers and orcas, alike, are constantly learning new things about one another. The complexity of these sea-beasts is becoming indescribable and almost out-of-tune with the villain stereotype that these whales are depicted to be. There’s more to what meets the eye than large teeth and killer speed, but that they are growing, learning and communicating each day just like us.