Rhythmic dimension in the echolocation click trains of sperm whales: a possible function of identification and communication

Abstract

Fourier spectral analysis was used to highlight a rhythmic dimension of the click repetition pattern of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Analysis of numerous series of regular clicks only showed occasionally the previously described codas used for communication. Out of a sample recording of vocalizing sperm whales, an apparent cacophony, belonging to a year-round resident group foraging a few miles off the coast of Gran Canaria, the individual click sequences of four animals have been unravelled by cross-correlating their time wave shapes.The Fourier spectrum, which yields the harmonic aspects of each isolated click sequence, shows a deterministic structure that appears as a strong modulating frequency. This shows that click production is not a random process and possibly characterizes, in fact, a signature of the animal. Here we introduce a new concept: this rhythmic modulation represents the acoustic signature of each individual sperm whale, which we have called RIME (rhythmic identity measurement). The RIME would allow a whale to distinguish its own echo time pattern from the background of other click trains during echolocation. The RIME appears to represent a new concept in communication strategies and might also be present in other-social-odontocete repertoires.