They say that dolphins are the only animals that have their own, identifiable language that they use to communicate with each other. You’ve probably heard that high-pitched, squeaky sound they make, which generates a lot of curiosity: what are they saying to each other?
Well, scientists didn’t want to be left wondering and have been investigating Delle, a solitary dolphin that appeared on the coast of Denmark and has surprised the scientific community with its behaviour.
Delle is all alone in the world, and dolphins usually live in very close social groups (because they even have hierarchies).
The researchers, intrigued by his isolation, decided to place a special microphone on him to record the sounds he made. What they discovered left them stunned: Delle was “talking to himself” in a way never before seen in dolphins.
What does a lonely dolphin say?
More than 10,000 records of different sounds were captured, something never seen before, including whistles, low tones, rapid pulses and percussion sounds. 2,239 of these sounds were whistles that had never been heard before. They are a type of high-pitched whistle that allows dolphins to communicate with their group mates. But Delle was alone, right? So who was he talking to?
Why was he alone?
It is believed that these sounds were a way of emotional self-regulation, like when humans talk out loud to calm down or combat our anxiety. There are several hypotheses about his isolation, although it is still unknown.
The first is that he may have gotten lost or separated from his group by mistake and not found his way back to the group, so he would be making those little sounds in case one of his companions heard him.
The second is that he could have been rejected by his pod, this usually happens with sick dolphins or with behaviours that are not usual in these cetaceans.
Finally, it is believed that this loneliness forced it to develop a new form of internal communication never before observed in these animals.
So, the mystery continues with the behaviour of this animal!
Could it be the same for humans?
Researchers have compared this finding to the way people who are left alone can talk to themselves to feel accompanied, and, although it is not advisable to humanize the behaviour of animals (especially dolphins), it is inevitable to wonder if Delle was, in some way, trying to fill the social void with her own voice.
So far, experts continue to analyse the recordings and study what meaning these sounds could have. Isn’t it amazing this field of study that has appeared as a surprise? How much do we know about the social and emotional behaviour of dolphins?
What is clear is that dolphins may have emotional intelligence just like humans. Although we still don’t know why Delle was talking to himself, what is certain is that his case will mark a before and after in the studies on dolphins and their capacity for adaptation.
Will we ever understand how these adorable animals think and feel? For now, Delle continues to swim in Danish waters, leaving behind a fascinating mystery that scientists will continue to investigate while it talks to itself.