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22 October 2026

Imagine hearing a sound from far away and knowing that someone is calling specifically for you.

Bottlenose dolphins have a remarkable way of doing something similar. Each develops a distinctive whistle, often called a signature whistle, that can help identify it to other dolphins. Researchers have found that these whistles carry individual identity information, rather than relying only on the sound of the dolphin’s voice.

The discovery is fascinating because dolphins live in a world where visibility can be limited and their companions may be some distance away. A recognisable whistle can help individuals keep track of one another and maintain social contact.

There is another intriguing detail: dolphins sometimes copy the signature whistles of other dolphins. Researchers have studied this behaviour as a possible way of addressing a particular individual.

We should be careful not to assume that dolphin communication works exactly like human language. Scientists are still investigating what these signals mean in different situations. A distinctive whistle is not proof that dolphins use names in every sense that humans do.

Yet the finding gives us a glimpse of how sophisticated their social world may be.

Beneath the water, where we might see only a fin briefly breaking the surface, one dolphin may be recognising a familiar signal from another.

The ocean is not silent. Much of its conversation simply happens beyond our hearing.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com