Dolphin communication seems to be more akin to humans talk than originally thought. Dolphin calls recorded in the 1970s were re-analyzed to reveal that dolphins use tissue vibrations rather than whistles to communicate. The research, published in Biology Letters, broke the recordings down using mathematical computing and visualization scripts. This allowed the team to determine the frequency and harmonics of each whistle-like sound.
The whistles dolphins produce turn out not to be whistles at all, but tissue vibrations akin to the vocalization produced by terrestrial mammals. This explains why dolphins can convey information and identify themselves to one another regardless of the depth they are swimming, the researchers told Wired Science. The findings could have implications for all toothed whales since true whistles would be less effective for communicating the ocean depths. Tissue vibrations allow the animals to recycle air and quickly change their tone mid-chatter, whereas whistling blasts air out at once.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Behavior Brief | The Scientist
Author: Rachel Nuwer
