page_title: Signature whistle
section_title: Within groups
hierarchical_section_title: Signature whistle / Group interaction / Within groups
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo taken by Graham Hesketh of Dolphin Safari Gibraltar 2012
context_page_description: A signature whistle is a learned, individually distinctive whistle type in a bottlenose dolphin's acoustic repertoire that gives the identity of the whistle owner. The whistles are identified and studied in the wild or in captivity by researchers using hydrophones. Vocal learning strongly influences the development of signature whistles, which can remain stable for up to at least 12 years. More often than not, calves develop signature whistles by the sounds they hear while making sure that they differ from close associates. However, male calves tend to learn signature whistles that resemble their mother's. They are believed to be most frequently used in communication of captive bottlenose dolphins, along with having specialized functions and properties. Researchers define it as a whistle with a unique frequency curve that dominates in the repertoire of a dolphin. Each dolphin has a distinct signature whistle that other members of its social group use to individually identify the whistler. They are typically used for localisation purposes, however they also provide dolphins with behavioural context.
context_section_description: Signature whistles are primarily used to locate group members, however they can also provide dolphins with the behavioural situations their group members are in. Dolphins primarily emit signature whistles when one individual is separated from the rest of the group. Non-signature whistles are the main vocalization when all of the group members are together. Although signature whistles are used to locate other dolphins, captive dolphins, who can use their sight to locate other animals, also emit these whistles. It is believed that signature whistles contain information other than location or identity, and can explain why dolphins in captivity use them. Signature whistle emissions also increase during socialization and predation.
  Similar to vocal learning, bottlenose dolphins demonstrate vocal copying. Bottlenose dolphins repeat another dolphin's signature whistle back in order to address that particular dolphin individually. Unlike other animals, dolphins do not display this behavior in aggressive situations. Humans and dolphins are the only known species to use vocal copying in cooperative contexts. Although this behavior is rare, dolphins with close relationships are more likely to demonstrate vocal copying. Also, bottlenose dolphins are capable of producing almost perfect copies of another dolphin's whistle. Any differences in the repeated whistle could be deliberate, reinforcing the idea that the dolphins individually address close relatives.
caption: Bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) playing in the wild, participating in within-group social interaction.
exif: {}