Dolphins

Do dolphins talk?

Dolphins appear to communicate with each other using an assortment of squeaks, whistles, and clicks. It is thought that they are warning each other of danger or if food is nearby, but we are not yet certain exactly what they are saying.

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This beautiful little dolphin is playing in the coral beds.  He stands approximately 4 inches tall and is made of ceramic bisque.  Styles vary, so order at least three to receive all three styles.

Dolphins almost constantly emit either clicking sounds or whistles. The clicks are short pulses of about 300 sounds per second, emitted from a mechanism located just below the blowhole. These clicks are used for the echolocation of objects and are resonated forward by the so-called oily melon, which is located above the forehead and acts as an acoustic lens. Echoes received at the area of the rear of the lower jaw are transmitted by a fat organ in the lower jaw to the middle ear. This echolocation system, similar to that of a bat, enables the dolphin to navigate among its companions and larger objects and to detect fish, squid, and even small shrimp. The whistles are single-toned squeals that come from deeper in the larynx. They are used to communicate alarm, sexual excitement, and perhaps other emotional states.
Because of the ability of dolphins to learn and perform complex tasks in captivity, their continuous communications with one another, and their ability, through training, to approximate the sounds of a few human words, some investigators have suggested that the animals might be capable of learning a true language and communicating with humans. Most authorities, however, agree that although the dolphin's problem-solving abilities put the animal on an intelligence level close to that of primates, no evidence exists that dolphin communications approach the complexity of a true language.

The sea tends to bring out superstition. There are gods of wind and sea, and they were thought to determine the course of seafarers. Dolphins, being in the sea, were often connected to various myths.