Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 15 January 1965:
Vol. 147. no. 3655, pp. 300 - 301
DOI: 10.1126/science.147.3655.300
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Vocal Mimicry in Tursiops: Ability to Match Numbers and Durations of Human Vocal Bursts

John C. Lilly 1

1 Communication Research Institute, Miami, Florida 33133

In addition to its normal underwater sonic communication path, the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) can be trained to emit sounds from the blow-hole opened in air. By proper rewarding (positive reinforcement) and evocative techniques, such vocal emissions can be changed from the natural patterns. One such group of new sounds is said to resemble the human voice ("vocal mimicry"). Apects of these sounds which are physically determinable, specifiable, and demonstrable are the similarities in numbers of bursts of sound emitted by man and dolphin and in durations of successive emissions. In 92 percent of the exchanges the number of bursts emitted by Tursiops equalled, ±1, the number just previously emitted by a man in sequences of one to ten bursts.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Communication between Dolphins in Separate Tanks by Way of an Electronic Acoustic Link.
T. G. Lang and H. A. P. Smith (1965)
Science 150, 1839-1844
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)