# Contextual and combinatorial structure in sperm whale vocalisations

*PRI Rank #5 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine animal studies overview Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-animal-studies-overview/2026/rank-5*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #5 |
| 18m citations | 41 |
| Journal | Nature Communications |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-024-47221-8 |
| Corresponding authors | Daniela Rus, Antonio Torralba, Jacob Andreas |
| Institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine animal studies overview Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-animal-studies-overview/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1038/s41467-024-47221-8](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47221-8)

## Topics

sperm whales · Physeter macrocephalus · codas · click sequences · contextual structure · combinatorial structure · rubato · ornamentation · rhythm · tempo · conversational context · vocal imitation · combinatorial coding system · caller identity encoding · context-sensitive vocalisation · vocal repertoire · marine mammal communication

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Marine animal studies overview Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/marine-animal-studies-overview/2026. Accessed 2026-07-29.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```