Whales and Humans Have Developed Similar Linguistic Features as Determined by Stony Brook University Researcher

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Many whales "compress" their calls to maximize efficiency, similarly to how humans do when speaking.

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Credit: CoreyFord

Do whales “speak” in a similar way that human beings do? Stony Brook University Postdoctoral Fellow Mason Youngblood from the university’s Institute for Advanced Computational Science has published a new study in Science Advances that reveals that whale communication is not just complex—it's remarkably efficient, following the same linguistic principles that shape human speech. 

By analyzing vocal sequences from 16 whale species and comparing them with 51 human languages, Dr. Youngblood found that many whales "compress" their calls to maximize efficiency, similarly to how humans do when speaking. Eleven species exhibit Menzerath's law, meaning longer vocal sequences are made up of shorter elements, and some—like humpback and blue whales—also follow Zipf's law of abbreviation, where frequently used sounds are shorter. This suggests that much like humans, whales have evolved ways to streamline their communication, potentially saving energy and avoiding predators.

But not all whales play by the same rules, according to Dr. Youngblood. Some dolphin species, like those in the Cephalorhynchus genus, show no evidence of these efficiency patterns—possibly because they rely on stealthy, ultrasonic sounds to evade predators rather than optimize timing. Even within species, efficiency varies: killer whales compress their call sequences but not the smaller elements inside them. These findings suggest that the push for efficient communication is not universal, but shaped by a mix of biology, behavior, and environment. More broadly, they highlight just how much there still is to learn about the complex communication systems of whales.

“I find it fascinating that communication evolves in similar ways across species, even when the purpose is wildly different“, said Dr. Youngblood. “Humpback and bowhead whales are thought to sing to attract mates, dolphins and killer whales use calls to coordinate with one another, and sperm whales produce clicks to communicate clan identity. Yet, despite these differences, many of their vocal sequences show the same efficiency patterns found in human language—suggesting that the drive to communicate with less effort is widespread in animals.”

About Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University is New York’s flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 26,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 220,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #58 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university’s distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize, Fields Medal and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy — one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X@stonybrooku.