Whale song more similar to human language than previously thought – study

Researchers used methods inspired by how babies discover words in speech and applied them to eight years of humpback whale song data

Research suggests that, like humans, whales learn their communication systems from each other Picture: Alamy/PA

Whale song is more similar to human language than previously thought, research has found.

The study, led by the University of St Andrews in Scotland, revealed a previously undetected “language-like structure” in whale song that was thought to be unique to human language.