Dolphins use signature whistles to represent other dolphins – similarly to how humans use names

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 12:10:33 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/dolphins-use-signature-whistles-to-represent-other-dolphins-similarly-to-how-humans-use-names-188332>

"Bottlenose dolphins’ signature whistles just passed an important test in
animal psychology. A new study by my colleagues and me has shown that these
animals may use their whistles as namelike concepts.

By presenting urine and the sounds of signature whistles to dolphins, my
colleagues Vincent Janik, Sam Walmsey and I recently showed that these whistles
act as representations of the individuals who own them, similar to human names.
For behavioral biologists like us, this is an incredibly exciting result. It is
the first time this type of representational naming has been found in any other
animal aside from humans."

Share and enjoy,
               *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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