JUSt WHiStLe

Bottlenose dolphins may refer to one another by name (or personal whistle). Many animals have distinctive calls, but they mean things like "Mind the hawk." If they recognize another animal, it is by "tone of voice" rather than by "name." To make sure bottlenose dolphins actually had names and weren't relying on tone of voice, scientists converted the personal whistles to synthesized ones that sounded quite different. The dolphins still seemed to recognize them. Asked for comment, another dolphin expert was unimpressed. "If they can talk about others behind their backs, that would be really interesting," he told [e-mail].

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