Whales can mimic human speech

American scientists have found a whale that can mimic human speech and make a sound a few octaves below its range. Unusual beluga inhabits the coastal waters of California. Cetaceans are not just taught to imitate the human voice, but this is the first case where a mammal shows the ability to mimic on their own.

Discovered talkative beluga one of the divers who, while under water, heard the order to immediately ascend. When the man rose to the surface and asked who called him, he is very surprised - none of the people who were there did not give such a command. Colleagues diver suggested that it made one of the inhabitants of the basin. After some observations they found that was making unusual sounds young beluga named Nok.

According to the theory of experts, she got that ability, "eavesdropping" divers during underwater communications test, which was carried out in the local area. Make sounds really tempo and rhythm are different from those which normally emit cetaceans.



As the researchers say, is now a theory that white whales are able to learn and play certain audio signals can be regarded as proven. However, the joy of biologists will not be long - as reported in their reports, after growing individuals lose their ability to produce sounds similar to human speech.

via factroom.ru