Dr. Shane Gero, a visionary marine biologist, is angling to crack the code of sperm whale communication. His mind-bending research is transforming what we thought we knew about these ancient

Dr. Shane Gero, a visionary marine biologist, is angling to crack the code of sperm whale communication. His mind-bending research is transforming what we thought we knew about these ancient leviathans. It’s calling on us to embrace the reality that perhaps we’ve long suspected: Sperm whales are living meaningful, intelligent and complex lives whose cultures suggest that whales are people too. What can whale culture teach us, and can deep listening help us learn to coexist respectfully in kinship with these guardians of the deep?
Featuring


Shane Gero, Ph.D., is a Canadian whale biologist, Scientist-in-Residence at Ottawa’s Carleton University, and a National Geographic Explorer. He is the founder of The Dominica Sperm Whale Project (http://www.thespermwhaleproject.org/)  and the Biology Lead for Project CETI (https://www.projectceti.org/) . His science appears in numerous magazines, books, and television; and most recently was the basis for the Emmy Award winning series, Secrets of the Whales. Learn more at shanegero.com (http://www.shanegero.com/) .


Credits



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Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel


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Written by: Teo Grossman and Kenny Ausubel


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Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch


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Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey


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Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris


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Special Engineering Support: Eddie Haehl at KZYX



Resources


Shane Gero – Preserving Animal Cultures: Lessons from Whale Wisdom | Bioneers 2023 Keynote (https://bioneers.org/shane-gero-preserving-animal-cultures-lessons-from-whale-wisdom-zstf2304/)


Deep Dive: Intelligence in Nature (https://bioneers.org/intelligence-in-nature-media-collection/)






This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the podcast homepage (https://bioneers.org/bioneers-radio/)  to learn more.

We have been killing whales for centuries, but we do so now out of ignorance rather than intent. As cetacean pods lose mothers and grandmothers, they lose wisdom inherited across generations on

We have been killing whales for centuries, but we do so now out of ignorance rather than intent. As cetacean pods lose mothers and grandmothers, they lose wisdom inherited across generations on how to survive. Whale researcher Shane Gero will share some of what he has learned from the thousands of hours he has spent in the company of sperm whales, including how fundamentally similar their lives are to our own, and how their cultures define their identity, just as ours do.

Shane explaind why we need new approaches to whale conservation that recognize the biologically important divisions between different communities of whales, so we can respect their identity and cultural diversity; and how this can be extrapolated to the larger struggle to conserve biodiversity.