diving in formation
by Douglas J. Lanzo
sperm whale pod
upon one matriarch click
I was inspired to write this Sciku by reading an article in Harvard Magazine entitled “Decoding the Deep” by Jonathan Shaw. It reinforced the beauty and intricacy of whale communications that had fascinated by watching ocean documentaries over the years.
The article details the complexity of the staccato clicking language of sperm whales and the billions of vocalizations the CETI project is seeking in order to decode their speech. However, I was struck that the first sperm whale word we have learned is the word to dive. Given that sperm whales travel in pods led by matriarchs and that a single click can be emitted at well over 200 decibels, I came up with this sciku to capture their magnificent synchrony of movement signaled by a single whale click.
It is amazing to think of the tremendous depths to which whales can descend (nearly 3,000 meters) at over 100 atmospheres in pressure and even more amazing to ponder the vocalizations of these wondrous creatures with the largest brains in the world.
Further reading
‘Decoding the Deep’, 2024, Shaw, J., Harvard Magazine, Volume 126, Issue 6. Available: https://www.harvardmagazine.com/harvard-researchers-language-of-whales
‘Animal (Code) Cracker’, 2024, Shaw, J., Harvard Magazine. Available: https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2024/07/harvard-undergraduate-whale-vocalizations
I also recommend watching ocean documentaries, many of which are available on Amazon Prime, about whales.
Author bio
I am the author of ‘The Year of the Bear’ (Ames Best YA Book of 2023) and the 2024 Firebird Award winning ‘I Have Lived’ (a newly released novella) and have published poems in 76 literary publications worldwide. I reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with my wife and twin sons and enjoy basketball and tennis. My author’s website is at www.douglaslanzo.com.
Check out other sciku by Doug here: ‘Sentient Sea Play’, ‘Ornamental Defense’, and ‘Undersea Fireworks’.