Sperm whale chats are very similar to humans, scientists find

Scientists have discovered that sperm whales chat, natter and gossip in a very similar way to humans, according to new research.

Sperm whales use a series of clicks, called codas, to communicate with each other.

Scientists used to think these clicks were like some sort of alien code, but it turns out the way whales communicate is closer to the way humans speak than previously thought.

Research in the past had found the codas sound a bit like vowels, and this study says the patterns they form also behave very closely to ours.

David Gruber, Founder and President of Project CETI which conducted the research, told BBC Newsround: "Whales use clicking sounds that can change in ways similar to human vowels, like "ah" and "ee."

He continued: "By mixing these different clicks and vowel-like sounds together, whales may be building messages a bit like we build words and sentences."

David told BBC Newsround the findings are important because "it shows whales might communicate in much more complex ways than we ever knew, helping us understand how smart and social they really are".

They apparently like chatting most when they're near the surface of the sea.

As whales are mammals, they can't actually breathe underwater, so while they usually live quite deep down, occasionally they need to come up to the surface for air.

When they do, they like to have a little chat and a gossip it seems, as this is when their codas can be heard.

The question now is, will we ever be able to fully understand what they're saying, or maybe even have conversations with them ourselves?

David told BBC Newsround that scientists are already using AI models to try and unpick what whales are saying.

"While we can't talk to the whales right now, we hope that one day we might understand parts of what they're saying so we can live in a world that feels closer to nature," he said.