DECODING WHALE LANGUAGE

PROJECT CETI

Unlocking the power of technology to decipher whale communication

National Geographic Explorer Dr. David Gruber founded Project CETI, short for Cetacean Translation Initiative, to translate whale “speech.” In the past five years, CETI has become the most interdisciplinary interspecies communication initiative in history, with leading scientists across eight disciplines including linguistics, robotics and artificial intelligence. Dr. Gruber along with Explorers Dr. Shane Gero and Dr. Robert Wood, and their team have made significant scientific progress to record, analyze and translate what sperm whales are saying – representing major breakthroughs that are now making it possible to bridge our worlds.  Not only are these findings leading to a deeper sense of awe and appreciation of whales and other marine life, they are also opening up new avenues to ocean conservation.

"Little by little, the sperm whales are divulging their secrets of how they're communicating to us."
Dr. David Gruber
National Geographic Explorer and Project CETI Founder and Lead

Invitation to Listen

While studying sperm whales near the coast of Dominica, Project CETI has uncovered the building blocks of whale speech, including a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet” and their use of vowels. Researchers are now assembling a one-of-a-kind data set of whale sounds and behaviors to decipher their complex language—and building a strong case for protecting these mysterious creatures. 

Dive deeper by taking part in CETI’s Listen to the Whales – a  movement for a new era that reveals a hidden world of sound where every click brings us closer to understanding these remarkable beings. Begin your journey by watching the Listen to the Whales campaign video, created by the National Geographic Society’s Impact Story Lab. 

Help Translate Whale Speech

By donating to the National Geographic Society,  your generous contribution will directly support Project CETI, led by Explorer David Gruber and his team who are helping to solve the planet’s mysteries and preserving our world for future generations.

Donate to Project CETI

Latest Stories

Members of a sperm whale family near the Caribbean island of Dominica are part of a clan that's culturally distinct from others. Each clan communicates in its own dialect of click patterns, like Morse code. Photo by Brian J. Skerry/National Geographic
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The marine mammals act like midwives, supporting mothers and their calves through delivery.

spermwhale000 Photo Amanda Cotton
How scientists are piecing together a sperm whale ‘alphabet’

In a study published in Nature Communications, Gruber and his co-authors have developed an entirely new way to look at sperm whale communication — a method that reveals far more complexity than has ever been seen before.

Dominica. November to December 2022. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus).
Whales could one day defend themselves in court—and in their own words

Scientists are closer than ever to deciphering sperm whale communication. Their breakthroughs could open the door to expanded whale rights and even legal personhood.

Photo credits (from top of page): Manu San Felix, Enric Sala, Michael Lees, Ismail Ferdous, Brian J. Skerry/National Geographic, Amanda Cotton, Enric Sala