Top-pitched, eerie and but distinct, the sound of a voice calling the title “Amy” is unmistakable. However this isn’t a human cry – it’s the voice of a killer whale known as Wikie.
New analysis reveals that orcas are able to mimic human speech, in some circumstances on the first attempt, pronouncing phrases corresponding to “hi”, “one, two” and “bye bye”.
The learn about additionally displays that the creatures are ready to replicate unfamiliar sounds produced by different orcas – together with a valid very similar to blowing a raspberry.
Scientists say the invention is helping to make clear how other pods of wild killer whales have ended up with distinct dialects, including weight to the concept that they’re the results of imitation between orcas. The creatures are already known for his or her skill to replicate the actions of different orcas, with some stories suggesting they can also mimic the sounds of bottlenose dolphins and sea lions.
“We wanted to see how flexible a killer whale can be in copying sounds,” said Josep Call, professor in evolutionary origins of mind at the University of St Andrews and a co-author of the study. “We thought what would be really convincing is to present them with something that is not in their repertoire – and in this case ‘hello’ [is] not what a killer whale would say.”
However researchers say only a fraction of the animal kingdom can mimic human speech, with brain pathways and vocal apparatus both thought to determine whether it is possible.
“That is what makes it even more impressive – even though the morphology of orcas is so different, they can still produce a sound that comes close to what another species, in this case us, can produce,” said Call.
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