Research Behind the Evolution of a Whale’s Voice

What do whales and humans have in common? According to Holly Root-Gutteridge, a post-doctoral researcher in the College of Arts and Sciences, it is within the learning curve of speech. Whales, just like us, begin their lives making illegible sounds, before refining their communicative skills. Root-Gutteridge explained this, and her further research, recently in an Atlas Obscura feature.

“’Instead of really long-duration ‘oop,’ they’re briefer,” she said for the piece. “As they age, the calls get longer and longer.’ Younger whales’ calls were chaotic, too. Juveniles’, less so—and by the time the whales were 25, they weren’t making much of this type of ruckus at all. As they aged, Root-Gutteridge says, “whales got better at making a purer version of the sound.”