DOLPHIN TALK & INTELLIGENCE
Dolphins are noisy creatures, constantly sending
out sounds such as clicks, whistles, squeaks, and barks.
The clicks are short puleses of about three hundred sounds
per second, used in echolocation. Whistles are used to
communicate alarm, excitement, and other emotional states.
For example, loud sounds accompanied by tail-slapping and
clapping jaws togetherare thought to be a sign of anger.
Whistles also seem to help identify a particular animal,
with each dolphin having its own "tune".
Some researchers believe dolphins have their own
kind of language. This is important in commucating with
each other when they swim and hunt in groups. Much of the
dolphin's large brain is taken up with processing this
barrage of sounds.
It is thought that dolphins might be capable of
learning a true language and communicating with people, and
some animals have been taught to make the sounds of a few
human words. Other signs of intelligence are their ability
to learn and carry out difficult tasks in captivity. Many
trainers give instructions in the form of arm and hand
signals.
Dolphins have excellent memories and can copy
behaviors as well as invent their own games. The fact that
they are also able to solve problems makes them more
intellgent than any other group of animals, except for
monkeys and apes.
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