Another, perhaps more intriguing vocalization of sperm whales, are vocalizations that are labeled codas. Codas are defined as temporal codings of click patterns, a fancy description of something that is very akin to a Morse code. Codas are used for communication, for instance, they are most frequently heard when whales are at or near the surface and when whales meet. Whales may then react to each other acoustically, most often between animals in close range. Interestingly, codas often elicit silence from distant clicking sperm whales, perhaps indicating that they are paying attention.
Codas are a unique form of communication.
As far as we know, it is a type of Morse code as I mentioned, it's a 'yes', 'no' series. Not so far removed from a digital language, made up of ones and zeros, Some codas seem to be more popular in certain areas than others, so in a way you can use codas to examine regional connectivity and population structures on a large scale. For example in the Galapagos, a frequently heard coda, especially when initiating exchanges, the opening coda, is the 'give me five coda'. In the waters of Papua New Guinea, we have also identified a favorite coda so far, and we've called it the 'shave and a haircut' coda. This is a really nice one that we have heard for several days now, whenever we hear it, it brings a smile to our face and usually a tap dance from someone in the wheelhouse.