The world is a more wonderful place than we know. Let’s not screw it up.
by David Atkins
If you’ve been on social media much lately you’ve probably seen this story–but just in case you haven’t, you should know that it appears that dolphins have names and use them to call out to one another:
For decades, scientists have been fascinated by dolphins’ so-called signature whistles: distinctive vocal patterns learned early and used throughout life. The purpose of these whistles is a matter of debate, but new research shows that dolphins respond selectively to recorded versions of their personal signatures, much as a person might react to someone calling their name.
Combined with earlier findings, the results “present the first case of naming in mammals, providing a clear parallel between dolphin and human communication,” said biologist Stephanie King of Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, an author of the new study…
Janik and King recorded their signature whistles, then broadcast computer-synthesized versions through a hydrophone. They also played back recordings of unfamiliar signature whistles. The dolphins ignored signatures belonging to other individuals in their groups, as well as unfamiliar whistles.
To their own signatures, however, they usually whistled back, suggesting that dolphins may use the signatures to address one another.
The new findings are “clearly a landmark,” said biologist Shane Gero of Dalhousie University, whose own research suggests that sperm whales have names. “I think this study puts to bed the argument of whether signature whistles are truly signatures.”
Gero is especially interested in the different ways that dolphins responded to hearing their signature called. Sometimes they simply repeated their signature — a bit, perhaps, like hearing your name called and shouting back, “Yes, I’m here!” Some dolphins, however, followed their signatures with a long string of other whistles.
“It opens the door to syntax, to how and when it’s ‘appropriate’ to address one another,” said Gero, who wonders if the different response types might be related to social roles or status. Referring to each other by name suggests that dolphins may recall past experiences with other individual dolphins, Gero said.
Every day it seems that we hairless monkeys learn more ways in which we’re a little less special than we thought, and the world and universe around us more amazing than we thought.
Some of our fellow hairless monkeys are scared by that, and want to reinforce their dominance and sense of specialness in the world. Those monkeys are bad monkeys who should be shunned and ostracized from monkey leadership. The ones who find the world’s wonders amazing and our lack of specialness to reinforce our connection with the world and species around us–those are the good monkeys.
It’s important to have good monkeys leading the group. And it’s really important that we call out the bad monkeys for the scared, angry little creatures they are, without compromising our values with them any more than absolutely necessary.
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