I recently chanced upon this article, here's an excerpt:

Dolphins have the longest lasting social memory ever recorded for a non-human, according to new research that leaves open the possibility that dolphins possess the world’s most impressive memories.

Dolphins have what are known as “signature whistles” that function like their individual names plus added information, such as sex, size and health status. Humans have something similar. When a person says his or her name aloud, for example, listeners may infer additional information. For example, a large man with a head cold is more likely than certain others to have a loud, deep and nasally voice. Figuring these sorts of things out among humans is not an exact science, though, as a short guy with a booming voice might prove.

At any rate, dolphins each have their own signature whistles, and other dolphins certainly pay attention to them, as Bruck determined.

He played recordings of signature whistles to dolphins that had once lived with the animals that made the calls. He also played recordings of dolphins that the listeners had never met.

Bruck found that “dolphins get bored quickly listening to signature whistles from dolphins they don’t know.” When they heard calls from their long-lost friends, however, the dolphins immediately perked up.

“When they hear a dolphin they know, they often quickly approach the speaker playing the recording,” Bruck explained. “At times they will hover around, whistle at it, try to get it to whistle back.”

In one notable example, a female dolphin named Bailey, now aged 24, heard the signature whistle of another female named Allie, whom she had not seen in more than 20 years. The two females used to share digs at Dolphin Connection in the Florida Keys.

Bailey appeared to be thrilled to hear the recording of her old buddy, and tried to communicate back.

There is little doubt that relationships among these animals are deep and meaningful. The findings also indicate that these are highly intelligent animals capable of very complex mental processing.

Their communications are equally complex, such that Bruck and some other researchers now wonder if dolphins have their own language. The creation and possession of language has never technically been applied to any species other than humans.

“We know they use these signatures like names, but we don’t know if the name stands for something in their minds the way a person’s name does for us,” Bruck said. “We don’t know yet if the name makes a dolphin picture another dolphin in its head.”

For his next round of research, Bruck said, “That’s my goal — show whether the call evokes a representational mental image of that individual.”

You probably didn't read all of it, but if you did, a trophy to you. Long story short, dolphins are found to have incredible social memory, and are suspected to have their own language.

Picture of a dolphin because who doesn't like looking at dolphins?

Since young, I've always been pretty uncomfortable when people referred to the sounds crows made as 'noise'. What, are crows simply nature's accessories meant to sit quietly in the trees as decoration? Yes, the crows' incessant cries may be annoying to our ears, but do they not deserve to interact with their mates as well? (Hmm crows' rights. And ravens are so much noisier than crows, trust me.)

Isn't it incredibly pompous to think that we are the only animals who can communicate using language? And isn't it even more conceited to think that all animals should interact the way we do, as if our way is the only/ cleverest way to communicate?

In fact, while reading children books and watching 101 Dalmations, I've wondered if all animals are capable of speaking to one another without humans knowing. Do you remember how the dogs and horse basically saved all the dalmations, while the people could barely do anything? What if everything in nature could shout secrets, and humans are the only ones left out? What if we are the ignorant ones?

What if, huh?

I'm aware I sound a little crazy (this is kinda thoughnotreally what I meant when I mentioned I have uncommon ideas in my introduction), and I shall end this here. Dismiss this entry if you'd like, but if you're actually pondering, please comment/ hit me up, we could be friends.

Kinda wack,

Labels: author: madeleine, personal, thoughts out loud