A new year, but the same mission – applying advanced machine learning and state-of-the-art robotics to listen to and translate the communication of sperm whales.
As we embark on another year of exploration, we return to the principles that shape how we listen, build, and discover.
Photos: @jaimerojo , @zahrek , @acottonphoto , @spencerlowell_
Last week, we launched Listen to the Whales with the National Geographic Society— an invitation to explore the rich communal lives of sperm whales and discover why deciphering their world matters.
Immerse yourself in the website where you can:
🐳Meet the whales
🔊Hear special audio selections
🌊Learn about CETI’s vision to reframe our connection to the natural world through listening
✉️And sign up to join the campaign so we can keep you in the current with actions you can take to support the whales and our oceans.
Links in our bio!
Photo: Kellon Spencer
Video: National Geographic Society Impact Story Lab, Change Content, Group Thrpy.
Moment-by-moment of a sperm whale birth.
A new CETI paper, published in @nature.portfolio ’s Scientific Reports, details the first time a sperm whale birth has been scientifically documented with audio and video, and is the most in-depth documentation of any whale birth! The paper reveals new insights into the rich internal and communal lives of sperm whales and their ancient birth caregiving practice, through contextualizing the findings within what is known about whale behavior, communication, and evolution.
➡️Swipe to see some of the key findings from the paper!
The paper, “Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events” and the complete list of CETI authors can be read at the link in our bio.
Photos (by slide):
1: A sperm whale family swims together as part of a culturally distinct clan. Dominica, Caribbean Sea. Photo by Brian J. Skerry/National Geographic.
6,9: A sperm whale calf swims alongside its mother. Dominica, Caribbean Sea. Photo by Brian J. Skerry/National Geographic
Join CETI’s Chief Strategy and Programs Officer, Fiona Korwin-Pawlowski (@fionakp26 ), and CEO and Founder David Gruber (@davidfgruber ) at NOODLE — The Thinkers Convention on May 22nd- 23rd in Newport News, Virginia.💭💡
Tickets and more information can be found at noodlecon.com at the link in our bio!
Big news—Listen to the Whales won the People’s Voice @thewebbyawards for Video & Film, in the category Science & Education!🌟
Thank you for voting for us! We are honored and look forward to continuing to Listen to the Whales together💙🐳
The Listen to the Whales campaign video was created with @insidenatgeo ’s Impact Story Lab, and if you haven’t already, take the plunge and discover a hidden world at projectceti.org/listen
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, grandmothers, mother figures across all species.
Today, we celebrate the matriarchs of Unit A, who spent hours supporting each other and working together to welcome their newest family member into the world. This reminds us that the power of motherhood transcends biology and species.
Female sperm whales stay with their mothers and their matrilineal social unit for their whole lives, helping to raise the next generation and bestowing crucial knowledge and care.💙🐳
Learn more about the collaborative caregiving to the newborn by all of the members of Unit A in the CETI Paper: “Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity” in the link in our bio!
Photos:
1: Sperm whale Rounder from Unit A brings her head to the surface. Dominica, Caribbean Sea. Photo by Brian J. Skerry/National Geographic
3: Members of sperm whale family Unit A, Lady Oracle, Accra and Aurora, swim together as part of a culturally distinct clan. Dominica, Caribbean Sea. Photo by Brian J. Skerry/National Geographic
5: Members of a sperm whale family Unit A , Aurora, Atwood, and Accra, 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
💙 This Mother’s Day, let’s look at the incredibly collaborative birth process of sperm whales.
🐋 A team of @projectceti and @amnh researchers recently published the most comprehensive documentation of a sperm whale birth ever recorded! Besides humans, scientists are finding that sperm whales are one of the most empathetic, caring, and community-oriented species on our planet. Hear more about the exciting findings from the CEO and Founder of Project CETI and Museum Research Associate David Gruber, and visit the link in our bio to learn more.
#science #marinebiology #whales #biodiversity #museum
Did you know that the first known whale walked on land?
Trace the echoes through time, charting humanity’s understanding of whales, starting 50 million years ago with Pakicetus at projectceti.org/listen
Photos: 1: @amnh / Carl Buell, 2: Figure 1 from “Highlights of Cetacean Embryology” by J.G.M.Thewissen, 3: Basilosaurus, one of the earliest fully aquatic whales.
Did you know that scientists only discovered sperm whales communicate in the 1950s? 🌊
Even more fascinating, it’s now scientifically proven that they have different accents. You can tell which family group a whale belongs to just by their clicks. It’s almost like trying to understand an alien.
Now, we’re finally getting closer to translating what they are saying.
David Gruber from @projectceti joined us to talk about sperm whale communication in our latest Not a Biologist episode.
Check out the full episode on our YouTube channel 🐋🎬
Meet Dianka George (@itz.dolce.d ), 2025/2026 CETI Dominica Marine Conservation Fellow!
Since childhood, Dianka has always been drawn to the ocean, and her experiences throughout the Fellowship have deepened her commitment to understanding and protecting it.
➡️Swipe to see some key moments from Dianka’s experience discovering firsthand the basics of sailing with the CETI Marine Operations Team aboard the CETI 1 research vessel.
Some lasting lessons she learned at sea:
- To steer straight, find a fixed point. The mountains of Dominica were my guide.
- The wind, boat, and sailor must work together to move across the water. We had to adjust the sails with the winch to meet the wind.
- You can read the wind using your ears. Using your body as a compass, you can feel the direction and strength of the wind.
- Dolphins love to sail too. Catching a bow-ride is a frequent behavior for dolphins, thought to be pure play for them, it was a magical moment for us.
Learn more about the CETI Fellowship at the link in our bio!
Photos: Dianka George, @itz.dolce.d
What does it look like when a sperm whale is born?🐋🌊
We recently filmed another episode of "Not a Biologist". In this episode, we talk about sperm whales, their birth, and so much more.
@terramater sat down with David Gruber, marine biologist and President & Founder of @projectceti , to discuss one of the most extraordinary moments ever captured on camera: the first-ever filmed sperm whale birth.
Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel tomorrow, April 30!💙
A major technological breakthrough: CETI’s autonomous underwater glider system is able to quietly follow sperm whales by listening to their voices, opening an entirely new dimension for studying whales in their natural environment.
The new autonomous robot will enable researchers to monitor whales at a distance on their journeys across wider ocean areas and offers the possibility to study individual whales through important life stages —such as observing a calf during its early development as it learns the vocal dialect, or “coda,” of its family group.
Learn more in the paper published in @nature.portfolio ’s Scientific Reports, “Backseat driver architecture to passively follow sperm whales by their voices with an autonomous underwater glider” at the link in our bio!
Authored by: CETI Underwater Acoustics Lead Roee Diamant from @anl_haifa , Yeshayahu Pewzner from @university_of_haifa , CETI Underwater Acoustics Team Member Guy Gubnitsky (@guyguva ) from @anl_haifa , CETI CEO and Founder David Gruber (@davidfgruber ) from @baruch_college , CETI Marine Operations Lead Dan Tchernov from @charneyschoolofmarinesciences , Laurent Beguery and Jeremy Sitbon from ALSEAMAR.
Animation: Adrien Gentils
