Dolphins 'shout' over loud underwater noise to work together, study finds
Telegraph, 13 Jan 2023
Dolphins shout to each other when trying to communicate in increasing underwater noise levels, research suggests.
The animals are social and intelligent, and rely on whistles and echolocation to hunt and reproduce. This means noise from human activity such as drilling and shipping could affect the health of wild dolphin populations.
However, a new study published in the Current Biology journal indicates that dolphins may change the volume and length of their calls when trying to work together when it is louder underwater.
The two dolphins observed in the study, Delta and Reese, were put in an experimental lagoon with suction-cup sound recorders that captured the sounds they made. They had to work together to both press an underwater button, placed at either end of the lagoon, within a second of each other.
They were released from a starting point during each experiment, and for certain trials, one of the dolphins was held back for five to 10 seconds while the other was released immediately.
In the delayed-release trials, the dolphins had to rely solely on vocal communication to co-ordinate the button press.
Researchers found that when increasing levels of noise were played from an underwater speaker, both animals compensated by changing the volume and length of their calls to co-ordinate the button press.
From the lowest to highest levels of noise, the dolphins' success rate dropped from 85% to 62.5%, the study found.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/dolphins-forced-shout-heard-shipping-noise/
#dolphins #shouting #experiment #science
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The animals are social and intelligent, and rely on whistles and echolocation to hunt and reproduce. This means noise from human activity such as drilling and shipping could affect the health of wild dolphin populations.
However, a new study published in the Current Biology journal indicates that dolphins may change the volume and length of their calls when trying to work together when it is louder underwater.
The two dolphins observed in the study, Delta and Reese, were put in an experimental lagoon with suction-cup sound recorders that captured the sounds they made. They had to work together to both press an underwater button, placed at either end of the lagoon, within a second of each other.
They were released from a starting point during each experiment, and for certain trials, one of the dolphins was held back for five to 10 seconds while the other was released immediately.
In the delayed-release trials, the dolphins had to rely solely on vocal communication to co-ordinate the button press.
Researchers found that when increasing levels of noise were played from an underwater speaker, both animals compensated by changing the volume and length of their calls to co-ordinate the button press.
From the lowest to highest levels of noise, the dolphins' success rate dropped from 85% to 62.5%, the study found.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/dolphins-forced-shout-heard-shipping-noise/
#dolphins #shouting #experiment #science
Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/digitalsub/3for1/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_pvid_conversion-subscription_editorial-iniative_03-22_EGW-13_organic_youtube
Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
