If you didn’t think dolphins were terrific enough already, they have just climbed a little higher on the amazing ladder.
A new study has found that dolphins learn the names (signature whistles) of their closest allies. It also found that this skill helps dolphins form teams. Researchers determined that dolphins can recall the names of up to a dozen individuals and can form teams of up to 14 individuals.
Commenting on the research which has been going on since 2016, the lead author Stephanie King stated:
“It was so striking. In 90% of experiments, dolphins who heard whistles of second-order alliance members turned immediately and directly toward the speaker.”
This could mean that dolphins have a human-like “social concept of team membership, based on an individual’s previous cooperative investment, rather than how good friends they are.”
The research mainly studied the whistles, interaction and cooperation between male dolphins. Scientists know that female dolphins whistle, too, so the question arises of what are they talking about?
You can learn more here.