Scientist: Dolphins Name Each Other

The bottlenose dolphins that inhabit Sarasota Bay have distinctive names for each other that they call out in whistles, according to scientists at Mote Laboratory, WFla.com reports.

Researchers say that the unique identifiers enable the sociable dolphins to travel together in groups or pods, which is key to their survival.

According to WFLa.com:

One of the lead scientists in the study, Dr. Randall Wells, is a local researcher who's been studying dolphins in Sarasota Bay for years.  He said,"These whistles actually turned out to be names. They're abstract names which is unheard of in the animal kingdom beyond people."

His finding were published in a research article recently. Wells works in the lab's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, one of the world's longest-running studies of a dolphin population.

Wells said, "These animals will call another individual's name to get their attention. So they not only understand they have an identity but they understand the other animal's identity and they use that through communication."

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