Whale song and human language share structural similarities, according to a breakthrough study by scientists who analysed years of humpback whale recordings from New Caledonia.

An international team of marine biologists and language experts examined the groans, whistles, and moans of humpback whales over eight years, discovering that their communication follows patterns similar to human language.

“We found something truly fascinating,” said Dr Emma Carroll, a marine biologist at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

“Their noises and our words share a common pattern.”

This does not mean whales have a language like humans, but it suggests that both species have evolved communication systems governed by similar principles.

A key discovery was that whale song follows Zipf’s Law—a principle in human language where the most frequently used words appear roughly twice as often as the second-most common words, three times as often as the third-most common, and so on.

Short, frequently used words like “the” and “of” dominate human speech, and the researchers found similar brevity and frequency patterns in whale vocalisations.

The study, published in Science, argues that this structure might aid “learnability,” making it easier for whales to acquire and use their songs—just as humans learn language.

The research was led by Professor Inbal Arnon of the Hebrew University in Israel, an expert in language acquisition.

The senior author, Dr Ellen Garland of the University of St Andrews, specialises in humpback whale song. Carroll, a co-author, is a whale genetics expert working with Garland to understand whale song evolution.

Humpback whale song is among the most complex acoustic displays in the animal kingdom. Sung only by males, it is a socially learned and culturally transmitted behaviour, likely playing a role in mate selection.

A single whale song can last up to 20 minutes, composed of many distinct sounds arranged in structured patterns.

“Of course, there are many differences between whale song and human language,” the researchers wrote. “Most importantly, expressions in language have semantic content. We make no such claim for whale song.”

While the meaning of whale songs remains a mystery, the study challenges the idea that structured communication is unique to humans. Instead, it suggests that foundational aspects of language may be shared across species.