How Do Dolphins Communicate

Dolphins are regarded as one of the most intelligent species on the planet, and their communication habits have a crucial role to play in this belief. Communication in this species is a complex process which involves the use of a wide range of sounds, including frequency modulated whistles, clicks and burst pulsed sounds. Even though their communication is most often characterized by the use of sounds, they are also known to resort to body language to communicate with other dolphins and humans.

Communication in Dolphin Species

Animal communication most often revolves around courtship rituals, territory defining, alarm calls, hunting, etc. The fact that sound travels four to five times faster in the water makes it one of the most important components of communication in the animals in marine biome, and dolphins are no exceptions. In dolphins, communication helps in facilitating complicated social interactions between the members of a pod. This species is known to use various sounds and actions to communicate with each other. Even though dolphins don't have vocal cords like humans, the nasal air sacs located below their blowhole can help them create a wide range of sounds.

How do They Communicate With Each Other?
The wide range of sounds that a dolphin can make are broadly categorized into three groups - frequency modulated whistles, clicks and burst pulsed sounds. The frequency modulated whistles work as signatures for these mammals. Each of the dolphins have a unique whistle, which helps them to identify each other. The young ones are trained to identify their mothers whistle at birth itself. Yet another important attribute of communication between dolphins, the clicks predominantly facilitate echolocation, a process wherein the location of a particular object is determined on the basis of the time taken for the echo. When foraging, the frequency of clicks increases as the dolphins close in on the target. Their clicks are the loudest among marine animal species. The burst pulsed sounds help them in keeping their aggression levels under check, especially in times of high excitement. These sounds are used by them to establish and maintain their position in the social hierarchy.

How do They Communicate With Humans?
When it comes to communication with humans, dolphins resort to certain physical actions, such as breaching, body posturing, jaw popping etc. One of the most widely used means of communication in this species is breaching, which refers to the action of propelling oneself out of the water and falling into the water with a splash. Similarly, they also communicate by splashing water with pectoral fins or tail. Though these measures of communication are most often used when it comes to communication with humans, their use by these creatures to communicate between themselves is also observed on a wide scale. Studies have also revealed that dolphins can understand the language patterns used by human beings to communicate, a characteristic which is also observed in animals like parrots, seal lions, etc.

Even though scientists have collected a significant amount of information on the communication of dolphins with each other as well as communication with humans, they are of the opinion that there is a lot more to learn about their communication habits. In fact, there are studies which reveal that the dolphins have the ability of mimicking various sounds, including that of a motor boat and human laughter. While the mystery surrounding the social behavior of this marine species has been decoded, communication is one aspect wherein we still need to do a lot of work.