Thieving whale caught on video gives rare clues about hunting strategy, sound production

Marine mammal videotaped stealing fish provides information about animal’s physical features

		IMAGE: These are snapshots from the unique May 31, 2006, sperm whale video off Sitka, Alaska. Click here for more information.

For decades scientists have been intrigued by the variety of sounds emitted by sperm whales, partly due to a popular theory that suggests that the sounds might contain information about the animals' size. But historically it has been extremely difficult to demonstrate that these curious clicking noises can reveal information about the physical characteristics of the massive marine mammals. Now, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego are unlocking some of the mysteries of sperm whale sound production.