Codas
Each whale produces a unique, short sequence of clicks known as a coda. Both whales and humans can identify codas belonging to specific individuals. Although codas can be heard over long distances, they most commonly occur when whales where are grouped together (Herman and Tavolga, 1980). Codas are most likely linked to social behavior because they tend to occur simultaneously with other social behavior. Each clan has a specific coda. One particular study found that codas do not change over the lifespan of sperm whales. However, the coda output does vary depending on the geographic location, suggesting a form of local dialect, close to that observed in other cetacean species (Rendell and Whitehead, 2005). Although clans have different codas, there would have to be consistent differences in the behavior among different clans to determine if each clan has a distinct culture. Clans in the South Pacific do have different feeding success and movement patterns depending on where they are located; this indicates that there are different cultures among clans and this means that possibly some clans are more fit then others (Whitehead and Rendell, 2004).
Photo courtesy Rolf Hicker-Nature Stock Photography
Other social behavior
Females are bonded over the care and protection of their young (Connor, 2002). Females tend to socialize while resting at the surface as a form of bond maintenance. Females who are at the surface may rub against each other; this most likely serves to remove skin and perhaps even parasites in addition to maintaining the bond (Connor, 2002). Females may also just lie parallel to each other in what is known as logging. Females not only protect their young, but protect other adults also. In one observation, a sperm whale even left the safety of a marguerite formation and placed itself in danger to help another whale who was being attacked (Weilgard and Whitehead, 2001).