We’ve been on a roll recently with dolphins, and this latest story is just as interesting.
Much like humans, dolphins have names for each other. They call out each other by specific “whistle” signatures, including using unique tones of voice when calling each other.
Discovery reports that bottlenose dolphins actually call out the names of their loved ones when separated from them. They’re the only other animals, besides humans, that have been found to do this. They also can call out their own name to introduce themselves.
Amazing.
“A dolphin emits its signature whistle to broadcast its identity and announce its presence, allowing animals to identify one another over large distances and for animals to recognize one another and to join up with each other,” King explained. “Dolphin whistles can be detected up to 20 km away (12.4 miles) depending on water depth and whistle frequency.”
Another type of dolphin, spinner dolphins, even spin and splash in the water to “talk” to each other. One splash may be a warning while another means it’s time to mate. If you haven’t seen spinner dolphins before, they loads of fun to watch. Here are a few images from this amazing (and short) National Geographic video on them:
Spinner dolphins, from National Geographic on YouTube
Spinner dolphins, from National Geographic on YouTube
And to refresh your memory of some of the other amazing dolphin stories, here are a few from recent weeks:
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