April 19, 2016
Scientists have found evidence that dolphins are able to communicate with one another to collaborate on a task.
The Dolphin Communication Project wanted to determine how exactly dolphins use the sounds they make.
Dolphins make two distinct kinds of clicks. The first is used for echolocation, a way for dolphins to locate objects around them.
The second type is a series of clicks that are so quick that they can't be used for echolocation.
In an attempt to find out, an experiment was designed to analyze the sounds dolphins made during a test. A food container, which could be opened using ropes on either side, was presented to the dolphins.
During the experiments, a pair of dolphins consistently solved the puzzle very quickly.
Furthermore, researchers found that dolphins were most "vocal" when they were working together.
The experiment marks the first time dolphin sounds were used to solve a joint task, according to researchers.
