Scientists from the University of St Andrews have revealed that dolphins communicate using names to identify each other. The research team recorded the vocalizations made by wild dolphins in Sarasota Bay, located on Florida's west cost. The researchers then generated computer imitations of the recordings and played them to the back to the dolphins.

They found that individual animals responded to certain vocalization patterns. Because the vocalizations were computer generated, it showed that the dolphins weren't simply responding to a familiar voice but instead to the vocal pattern itself. This showed the dolphins recognized the patterns in a similar manner to the way humans use names.

Find out more:

• Janik VM, LS Sayigh and RS Wells. 2006. Signature Whistle Shape Conveys Identity Information to Bottlenose Dolphins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103:21(8293-8297).
• Dolphins 'Have Their Own Names' (BBC News)

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