Page 112 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Sharks & Ocean Predators
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Communication

Dolphins stay in contact at all times, constantly chirping and clicking to one
another about sources of food, group life and the threat from predators
Living under water means that dolphin recognise one another by these signature they might be able to project these pictures
communication works extremely differently sounds. Closely bonded dolphins even mimic to others, like a hologram. This surpasses the
from animals that live on land. Sound is the one another’s whistles, which is like calling out amount of information humans can convey with
basis of almost all dolphin interactions and for a friend by name. speech and dolphin conversations could be up
the exact information different noises contain The dominant form of communication in to 20-times more detailed than that of apes
is still a mystery to marine biologists. Staying primates is through sound, but the primary and other primates.
in contact is crucial for dolphin survival and sense of apes and monkeys is visual. Scientists Not all dolphin communication is based on
their social intelligence has developed over now think that dolphin communication is sound, though, after arriving and before leaving

thousands of years of evolution. more efficient than our own, because they a group they touch each other. Even altering
Each dolphin makes a unique whistle sound can replicate any sound that they hear. their posture while swimming is a form of
that acts as a name tag. Dolphins introduce These animals build up mental pictures of communication and a dolphin can invite others
themselves to others around them and the environment using biological sonar and to play by wriggling its body.

Social
networking
Dolphin groups have a

very fluid social structure, with
smaller groups constantly combining
and splitting up again. This means that
they can meet hundreds of others on a
daily basis. This has been likened to social
networking, with dolphins maintaining lots
of weak bonds with others they have met

briefly in the past. The networks that build
up help transfer information over long
distances and work just like Facebook.
News is transferred through
friends of friends and means
that dolphins can stay
in touch.

How dolphins Clicks
speak to Dolphins emit very short, high-pitched snaps
one another of sound at regular intervals
All the sounds a dolphin makes
come from the blowhole. By
forcing air out between the
Buzzes
powerful muscles that keep the Associated with surges of emotion, dolphins
blowhole sealed under water, create buzzes when excited or angry
they can create an enormous
variety of unique sounds,
Whistles
from simple clicks to complex These flowing sounds are individual name

whistles and buzzes. tags to help dolphins recognise one another
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