Abstract
Sperm whales are still mysterious creatures. Other than to communicate, it is very likely they use sounds to navigate, to orientate, to avoid obstacles, and to find food in obscure ocean depths. Their regular clicking may serve for both communication and long-range echolocation, while codas and other patterned click sequences may serve mostly for social communication. It is known that sperm whales dive deep to search for food, probably squid and giant squid. However, to date nobody has been able to see a sperm whale detecting and capturing prey. Recordings made with towed arrays while pursuing underwater animals at close range have revealed sounds possibly used for echolocation. Accelerated click series may serve for detection and interception of prey. The patterning of clicks closely resembles the echolocation trains of dolphins, and it is very likely that sperm whales search for food in a very similar way. Bioacoustics and new technologies, such as time-depth recorders, ‘‘crittercams,’’ and satellite-based telemetry devices may offer new and valuable insights in understanding their behavior, their survival strategies, and their relationships in the food chain. Understanding these aspects is required to define and to tune conservation strategies to offer them a chance to survive.
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