MUSIC is the universal language par excellence. But could it help us communicate with animals? A new Australian study reveals that dolphins are particularly receptive to the high frequencies of certain instruments, such as the flute, the piccolo and the Indian recorder.
Researchers at The Australian National University have teamed up with flautist Sally Walker to determine whether dolphins exhibit a natural curiosity for music. They conducted the experiment in December 2021 in Port Stephens, New South Wales.
They found that the marine mammals approached their oceanographic vessel within minutes of Sally Walker starting to play the flute.
"One dolphin glided directly underneath me at the same speed as the boat, and the rest of the pod danced around it," she said.
Bach or Mariah Carey?
Dolphins are true experts in acoustics. They use sound production and reception to communicate, navigate and detect predators and prey.
Their perception of the outside world comes from their high-frequency sonar, which is as powerful as the radar-like capabilities of bats. However, the scientific community still knows little about how these creatures react and respond to music.
"Dolphins live in a world of sounds; they communicate with one another by sending a sound which is a hologram of information reflected in their melon – a mass of adipose tissue found in their forehead – so I know we as humans can communicate with dolphins through music," said the biologist and dolphin expert, Dr Olivia De Bergerac.
The Australian National University researchers now want to see what type of sounds or music dolphins might be most receptive to.
They already know that they are particularly attracted to high-pitched sounds. But it remains to be determined if it would be possible to communicate with these marine animals through music.
The biologists plan to install speakers underwater in a bid to discover their musical preferences – a Bach sonata or Mariah Carey's vocals, for example? But for the flautist Sally Walker, these animals may simply be attracted to seeing someone serenade them from the front of a boat. – ETX Daily Up, February 22, 2022
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