Dolphin calf sounds are language clue

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 18, 2007

KEY LARGO - Despite the recent loss of a newborn dolphin, a marine mammal acoustic researcher said Sunday the ability to record sounds emanating from the calf as it was born may provide new insight into dolphin communications.

"We have his first sounds, which took place about two seconds after birth, " said Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin.com.

Before that, scientists had wondered whether dolphins took a long time to learn sound and echolocation or whether they were hard-wired at birth.

The calf was born June 11 to a deaf Atlantic bottlenose dolphin at the Marine Mammal Conservancy. It died Friday.

The calf's sounds were recorded in an isolated environment without multiple dolphins present.

[Last modified June 18, 2007, 00:37:58]