Jul 5, 2023 - News

Dolphin mothers baby talk, too, study shows

Kathryn Varn

Two gray dolphins, one big and one small, in deep turquoise water. — Portrait of mother and baby Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Photo: Wild Horizons/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Bottlenose dolphins use their own kind of high-pitched baby talk to communicate with their offspring, according to a new study that followed a group of Tampa Bay dolphins.

What they did: For more than 30 years, a group of researchers attached microphones to 19 dolphin mothers in Sarasota Bay to record their signature whistles, which the marine mammals use to keep track of each other, according to the Associated Press.

Of note: Dolphin mothers have similarities to human caregivers in that they form bonds and spend multiple years with their calves.

What they found: The dolphins used a higher pitch with a wider range than usual when addressing their offspring, "paralleling similar changes in human motherese," the study says.

The study defines "motherese" as a "speech pattern that is nearly universal across cultures and languages in human caregivers interacting with children." It's also known as baby talk.

The intrigue: Prior to this study, there was little evidence to show that non-humans used the speech pattern.

Why it matters: Baby talk can "enhance attention, bonding, and vocal learning in dolphin calves, as it does in human children," the study says.

The research also adds "to the growing body of evidence that dolphins provide a powerful animal model for studying the evolution of vocal learning and language."

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Dolphin mothers baby talk, too, study shows

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