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From: esmythe@andrew.ATL.GE.COM (Erich J Smythe)
Newsgroups: sci.misc,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Dolphin research
Summary: a longish blurb on dolphins
Keywords: dolphin
Message-ID: <178@puma.ge.com>
Date: 3 Jan 90 13:36:19 GMT
References: <32346@auc.UUCP>
Sender: news@puma.ge.com
Reply-To: esmythe@andrew.ATL.GE.COM.UUCP (Erich J Smythe)
Organization: GE Advanced Technology Labs, Moorestown, NJ
Lines: 66

In article <32346@auc.UUCP> usul@auc.UUCP (Ron McBay ) writes:
>
>Does anybody know anything about the current state of dolphin research?
>What kinds of things are being done with them these days, especially
>in reference to trying to communicate with them.
>
>Just curious.

When I lived at Mystic, CT (of pizza fame) I had a chance to work with
the dolphins and belugas at the Mystic aquarium.  While I was there a
researcher from the Navy Underwater Systems Center was doing PhD
research on how the dolphins in the aquarium might communicate.
I will try to recall some of this although it is about a year old.

The main points of the research is that (a) we are not really sure
whether dolphins communicate, (b) if they do, what is the means of the
communication.  To assess both (a) and (b), it was found that you have
to separate "signal" from aquarium noise, and this has never been done
to any great extent, so he has spent almost an entire year studying
the noise characteristics of the dolphin's tank at the mystic
aquarium.  Only now has he been able to put forth a hypothesis on (a),
and that, while the dolphins are performing tricks, stunts, and just
generally playing, they may be emitting some acoustic signal to others
in the tank.  This is especially prevalent when a pair of dolphins are
performing.

The real hard part is (b).  Dolphins are constantly emitting acoustic
signals.  Most, of course, is sonar, both for echolocating and
"feeling" of objects (the latter being high pitched and very close).
Finding "communication" in all that is tough.  What he has found so
far is a squeak right before the dolphins jump from the water, a
possible synchronization signal.  He doesn't expect to find the
language in all this, but is trying to look for some sort of
"alphabet".  Merely determining whether the "alphabet" is analog or
digital or some combination is an important first step.

Of course, trainers and researchers communicate all the time with
dolphins, but it tends to be on our terms rather than the dolphins'.
Dolphins perform stunts by taking hand signals from a trainer, and are
very good at recognizing these signals.  They are also very
particular, and become quite irritated when the signals are even
slightly messed up by the trainer.  They seem to "know" what to do,
but are either (1) confused because the signal is not perfect, or (2)
are refusing because the trainer has messed up.  My limited experience
says (2), since when I got to work with them it was clear who was in
charge.  It wasn't me.  I had no doubt that they were training me to
give them fish and attention by performing the odd trick.  The
dolphins even seem to show some ability to combine hand signals.  One
trainer had taught a dolphin to spin while she bowed (jumping out of
the water in an arc) by combining the spin with the bow signal.

We do know some dolphin "signals" that are made by physical means.
The lob tail (slapping the tail flukes on the water) is a sign of
frustration or irritation in the tank, and is a warning in the wild.
Snapping of the jaws is a more severe warning, and if you happen to be
swimming in the tank it is time to get out in a hurry.  

We still have a lot to learn, but before we do we must learn to
communicate on the dolphin's own terms.  They are awe inspiring
creatures. 

Erich Smythe 
esmythe@atl.ge.com
GE Aerospace
Moorestown, NJ
(609)866-6643