Study finds humpback whale songs follow patterns similar to human languages, hinting at culturally learned communication.

Researchers found that humpback whale songs follow Zipf's law, a pattern also seen in human languages, indicating that whale communication may be culturally learned. Using eight years of song recordings, scientists discovered a predictable sequence of sounds, challenging the uniqueness of human language. The study suggests that complex communication systems may share universal features across species, regardless of their evolutionary distance.

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