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Best evidence yet that dolphin whistles are like a shared language
While dolphins are known to transmit information in their whistles, until now it hasn't been clear whether the marine mammals used the same sounds to indicate a shared understanding of a concept
By Chris Simms
2 May 2025
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Dolphins show signs of language-like communicationMartin Strmiska/Alamy
Dozens of dolphins have been recorded making specific whistle sounds that seem to refer to a shared meaning, expressing either questioning or alarm. Some researchers are claiming this shared usage is the best evidence yet that these intelligent marine mammals have a language-like communication system.
We know that dolphins make many “information-carrying” whistling noises, and may communicate extra detail by changing the volume of their whistles, but until now researchers have avoided claiming the animals – indeed, any other non-human animals – have a language.
Read moreThe radical new experiments that hint…
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