Dolphins have made the news for various reasons, from being too cute to even unregretfully stealing an iPad. However, for today, we have something far more astounding for you.
Dolphins are already quite famous for their intelligence and friendliness with humans. However, a recent study on a pod of dolphins found that they can be even more intelligent than previously reported.
Dolphins have signature whistles or songs with which they can communicate among themselves and identify each other. Using the same whistles/songs, they can also bond with their unborn babies.
Researchers observed a pregnant dolphin at a tank in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, whom they later named Mira, and made this rather wholesome discovery. But, of course, part of it was already known.
In this particular study, the researchers mainly focused on the type of whistles the 9-year-old Mira produced. They recorded more than 80 hours of audio both before and after the birth of the calf.
Mira’s whistles changed around two months before giving birth. The rate of this whistle was different from the signature dolphin whistles. And during this time, the other dolphins of her pod tried to whistle at a quieter rate than normal.
Once Mira gradually stopped her special whistle, the other dolphins soon began to increase their whistling rates. Researchers like Audra Ames hypothesized that this special type of whistle is intended for imprinting.
