Nature · 2
Which marine mammals have been observed in studies to respond selectively when they hear their own signature whistle played back to them?
Answer
Bottlenose dolphins
Studies, including work published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, showed that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) respond specifically to playbacks of their own signature whistles by whistling back — behaviour analogous to recognising and answering to one's own name. Other cetaceans have complex vocalisations but this name-response behaviour has been specifically demonstrated in bottlenose dolphins.
💡 Did you know?
Dolphins name each other with unique whistles and answer when called by their individual 'name' across miles of open ocean.
Other options people guess
- Orca (killer whales)
- Beluga whales
- Humpback whales
Topics
- dolphins
- marine-mammals
- animal-communication
- cognition
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