Sounds have different meanings to dolphins. They use echolocation to locate prey, avoid predators, avoid obstacles, and communicate with their peers by whistling at specific frequencies. In the eyes of marine biologists, dolphin whistles are used in a novel way - listening to dia

sounds have different meanings to dolphin . They use echolocation to locate prey, avoid predators, avoid obstacles, and communicate with their peers by whistling at specific frequencies. In the eyes of marine biologists, dolphin whistles have a novel way of using them - listening to dialects and looking for "siblings".

Dolphins living in different geographical areas emit different whistles, similar to our human dialects. By analyzing the differences in these "dialects", the kinship relationships of different groups can be locked to a certain extent.

Chinese white dolphin is a species of Camelina genus. It is a national first-level protected animal in my country and is rated as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These Chinese white dolphins are scattered along the southeastern coast of my country. In 2014, scientists discovered a new population of Chinese white dolphins in the southwest waters of Hainan. Are these dolphins related to dolphins in other waters?

To answer this question, A research team from the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences monitored dolphin sounds in the area between December 2016 and May 2018, identifying a total of 226 whistle signals. These whistles are divided into 6 sound types based on their waveform characteristics. The analysis showed that the Chinese white dolphins in Hainan do have their own dialect: the frequency and duration of the whistles are different from those of dolphins in other waters, with longer duration but simpler sounds.

Researchers compared white dolphins in Hainan, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and Sanniang Bay, Guangxi, and found that the whistles of the latter two were more similar, while the Hainan white dolphins were less similar to them and had more unique calls. Based on this, the researchers concluded that this group of dolphins in Hainan is a relatively independent group and has relatively little genetic exchange with dolphins in the surrounding waters. As for why the dolphins here emit different whistles, it may be related to the environment. If the water environment is noisy, dolphins are more likely to emit simple, low-frequency sounds that last longer.