When a dolphin whistles, what does it mean?
4/15/202614 min
What are dolphins actually saying with their iconic, high-pitched whistles? Dolphin communication researcher Laela Sayigh is trying to find out. She’s been compiling a database of whistles from a pod of dolphins in Sarasota, Florida, the longest-studied group of cetaceans in the world.
She joins Flora to discuss fundamental questions about dolphin dialects, including how dolphins’ “signature” whistles can change depending on context, and the process of decoding new types of whistles.
Guest:
Dr. Laela Sayigh is a senior research specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsFlora Lichtman· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hey, it's Flora Lichtman, and you're listening to Science Friday. Investigating an iconic animal sound, [dolphin whistling] the dolphin whistle. But what exactly is that dolphin saying? My next guest is trying to find out. She's an expert in dolphin communication and has been compiling a database of whistles from a pod of dolphins in Sarasota, Florida, that's been studied since the 1970s. And she's working to answer some fundamental questions about dolphin dialects. Dr. Layla Sayigh is a senior research specialist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Layla, thank you for being here.
Laela Sayigh· Guest0:43
You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Flora Lichtman· Host0:45
Let's do some dolphin whistle 101. So every dolphin has something called a signature whistle. Let's listen to some examples first. [dolphins whistling] Okay, so what is a signature whistle?
Laela Sayigh· Guest1:03
Yeah. Well, signature whistles are the closest thing to human names that we know of in the animal world. Um, they really are a lot like our own names. Um, so each dolphin has their own. They do make their own signature whistles a fair bit, uh, which is, uh, sort of different than how we use our own names 'cause we can usually see each other. Um, but they use them maybe when they're out, you know, sort