Orcas – also known as killer whales – are important members of the dolphin family and are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. With the second largest brain size of any marine mammal and their impressive behavioral, social, language and echolocation skills, they are highly intelligent and complex mammals at the top of the food chain for marine life.
Orcas are also the holy grail of marine biologists and those who study zoolinguistics. Orcas live in family groups called pods, which together form clans. Each orca clan “speaks” a different language. While all orcas within a clan speak the same language, each school has its own unique dialect. Because of this, scientists have been eager to unravel the mysteries behind how killer whales communicate. Now, artificial intelligence may have the answer.
Orcas can be found all over the world, but one particular group visits the waters between Alaska and Vancouver every summer, affectionately known as the “Northern Dwellers.” They are unique in that they are monitored by a team of German and Canadian behavioral biologists and IT specialists who use AI to decode their speech. There are approximately 300 northern resident orcas, divided into 32 groups. In addition to unique communication skills, each pod has a unique relationship to the hunting grounds, and even specific behaviors that are passed down from generation to generation.
The researchers used high-tech underwater microphones to “listen” to the orcas, and used cameras and drones to monitor them from the surface. They observed and recorded specific behaviors or movements of the orcas as they “speak”. Orcas communicate through a variety of calls known as “calls,” which can be heard for miles. Over the past few decades, marine scientists have recorded thousands of calls from these orca shells. Today, AI is included.
AI has long been used to recognize patterns in human speech. Researchers are now trying to use the same technique to decode what the orcas said. Artificial intelligence machines can now analyze these recordings to identify recurring patterns and behaviors in orca calls.
The ultimate goal is to create a sort of killer whale language dictionary. Currently, scientists have no way of knowing what the orcas are talking among themselves. But they now have the tools to compare calls in greater detail and systematically than before. As more recordings of whale calls are shared and made available to train deep-learning artificial intelligence machines, the faster they learn the subtleties of communication patterns.
This is a potentially revolutionary landmark study. Humans have long had limitations in understanding what animals might be talking about. But with the help of artificial intelligence, a new era of research could allow us to unravel the mysteries behind their communication.
Directed by: Volker Barth
