Scientists record two dolphins talking for the first time

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Scientists have finally recorded dolphins having a conversation for the time ever after decades of research. A pair of the marine mammals were observed using clicks and pulses to form distinct 'words', in theory constructing sentences to communicate with each other. The breakthrough was made after researchers developed an underwater microphone designed specifically to pick up on the exchanges. The two Black Sea bottlenose dolphins, Yasha and Yana, were observed waiting for the other to finish their 'sentence' before replying back.

Scientists at the Karadag Nature Reserve, in Feodosia, Russia said that, like humans, dolphins are able to communicate certain emotions such as stress or happiness. Lead researcher Dr Vyacheslav Ryabov told The Telegraph: 'Essentially, this exchange resembles a conversation between two people. 'We can assume that each pulse represents a phoneme or a word of the dolphin's spoken language.

'This language exhibits all the design features present in the human spoken language, this indicates a high level of intelligence and consciousness in dolphins. Dolphins have larger brains than many mammals - 1,800g and 0.9 per cent of its average body weight, the same brain-to-body weight percentage of a chimpanzee. The idea that dolphins have superior intelligence was made popular in the 1950s by neuroscientist John Lilly.


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