Just as a fraught woman may coo lovingly to her own paunch , mahimahi ma - to - be may tattle to their calf before the little ones are even born . Speaking at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in Denver , researchers from the University of Southern Mississippisaiddolphins may set forth teaching their young to recognize their voices as betimes as two weeks before parentage .
Dolphins and humans have a spate in common . Like us , they ’re smart , social animals that bank intemperately onsoundto communicate . Each dolphinfish has what ’s called a signature pennywhistle : a unequalled noise that play kind of like itsnameor call mansion . dolphinfish calves more often than not do n’t come up with their own signature tune pennywhistle until they ’re about two months older . This may be so they can be sure they do n’t choose a pennywhistle that sounds too much like anyone else ’s .
Previous studies had shown that , shortly before giving birth , meaning dolphinfish start repeating their own signature whistles over and over . Some researchers theorized that the moms - to - be were trying to inspire their sister - to - be to develop their own whistles , but nobody was really certain . And while scientists had supervise ma before birth , nobody had yet proceed the work after the calf was born .
So doctoral studentAudra Amesand her colleague headed out to the mahimahi enclosure at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo , California . A distaff dolphin name Bella was well into her pregnancy , and so they rig up recording equipment to supervise the noises that she and others made . They get 80 time of day of sound in the four month surrounding the sura ’s birth : two months before , and two months after [ PDF ] .
Two hebdomad before the calf — Mirabella , or Mira — was carry , Bella ramped up the amount of time she spent repeating her own signature sound , and she kept it up until Mira was two workweek old . Interestingly , at the same time , other dolphinfish in the inclosure quieten down , minimizing the sounds of their own names . As shortly as Bella eased up on her theme song strait , they went back to whistle their strait as usual .
Ames believes Bella was teaching Mira to pick out her female parent ’s vocalization — a form of bonding and imprinting . " We actually do see that human babies develop a preference for their female parent ’s voice in the last trimester , " she recount Live Science . " We do n’t know if that ’s something that ’s go on here , but it could be something similar . "
That would explain the non - mom dolphins ’ decision to keep it down . " What the other dolphin might be doing here is remaining quiet so the sura does not form on the wrong signature whistling , " Ames articulate .
Ames and her colleagues are currently studying other sounds made by mother - calfskin pairs .
[ h / tLive Science ]
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