You Talkin’To Me?

Listen to killer whales mimicking human voices – audio

O.K. Your parrot can talk… so can my killer whale. She's bigger and likes to swim, too.

 ‘Imagine a non-human animal that could speak up – in human words –
against the degradation of a vast ecosystem like that of the oceans?’
Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Here’s the story:

Orcas can imitate human speech, research reveals, NicolaDavis, The Guardian, 30 Jan 2018.

 “High-pitched, eerie and yet distinct, the sound of a voice calling the name “Amy” is unmistakable. But this isn’t a human cry – it’s the voice of a killer whale called Wikie.”

“New research reveals that orcas are able to imitate human speech, in some cases at the first attempt, saying words such as “hello”, “one, two” and “bye bye”.

“The study also shows that the creatures are able to copy unfamiliar sounds produced by other orcas – including a sound similar to blowing a raspberry.”

“Scientists say the discovery helps to shed light on how different pods of wild killer whales have ended up with distinct dialects, adding weight to the idea that they are the result of imitation between orcas. The creatures are already known for their ability to copy the movements of other orcas, with some reports suggesting they can also mimic the sounds of bottlenose dolphins and sea lions.”

Please go here for the whole shebang.

And, here for what it all means:

So killer whales can talk. Welcome to a brave new world of cross-species chat, Jules Howard, The Guardian, 1 Feb 2018.

“Wikie the orca is more mimic than raconteur, but the potential is awesome. Imagine dolphins tackling politicians on pollution.”

Now, that would be worth seeing. - RB