Evolution
Known
as "the canaries of the sea" for their prolific vocalizations, a study
published today in Current Biology, has shown beluga whales
(Delphinapterus leucas) have some ability to mimic human speech.
Scientists at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego had
noted anecdotally that noises resembling human conversation were heard
near the tanks that housed the whales and dolphins, but until
one diver questioned a colleague when he heard someone telling him to
get out of the tank he was in, they had been unable to figure out where
the noise was coming from.
Researchers ultimately determined the
vocalizations were being produced by a beluga whale named NOC. The paper
by Ridgway, et al. shows analysis of the noises that NOC's made
exhibited a rhythm and fundamental frequency similar to human speech.
This idea is not new with the smallest species of whale; in 1949,
scientists studying wild beluga had noted sounds that resembled children
shouting coming from the herds, while in Canada another beluga was said
to say its own name. This study is the first time the mechanisms behind
the mimicry have been thoroughly examined.
While not a sudden leap
in human/whale communication, the complexity of the behaviors needed to
produce human-like vocalizations for NOC hint to a “motivation for
contact” with the humans around him.
Image credit: http://www.fish-journal.com/
http://www.nature.com/news/
http://www.cell.com/
http://download.cell.com/
Known
as "the canaries of the sea" for their prolific vocalizations, a study
published today in Current Biology, has shown beluga whales
(Delphinapterus leucas) have some ability to mimic human speech.
Scientists at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego had noted anecdotally that noises resembling human conversation were heard near the tanks that housed the whales and dolphins, but until one diver questioned a colleague when he heard someone telling him to get out of the tank he was in, they had been unable to figure out where the noise was coming from.
Scientists at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego had noted anecdotally that noises resembling human conversation were heard near the tanks that housed the whales and dolphins, but until one diver questioned a colleague when he heard someone telling him to get out of the tank he was in, they had been unable to figure out where the noise was coming from.
Researchers ultimately determined the
vocalizations were being produced by a beluga whale named NOC. The paper
by Ridgway, et al. shows analysis of the noises that NOC's made
exhibited a rhythm and fundamental frequency similar to human speech.
This idea is not new with the smallest species of whale; in 1949,
scientists studying wild beluga had noted sounds that resembled children
shouting coming from the herds, while in Canada another beluga was said
to say its own name. This study is the first time the mechanisms behind
the mimicry have been thoroughly examined.
While not a sudden leap in human/whale communication, the complexity of the behaviors needed to produce human-like vocalizations for NOC hint to a “motivation for contact” with the humans around him.
Image credit: http://www.fish-journal.com/
http://www.nature.com/news/
http://www.cell.com/
http://download.cell.com/
While not a sudden leap in human/whale communication, the complexity of the behaviors needed to produce human-like vocalizations for NOC hint to a “motivation for contact” with the humans around him.
Image credit: http://www.fish-journal.com/
http://www.nature.com/news/
http://www.cell.com/
http://download.cell.com/
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