"The dolphin was reinforced for producing a specific rhythm to a specific object," said Harley. "For example, when we presented him with a 'Batman' doll, he received a fish for producing a specific rhythm — in this case, a short sound and then a long one."

She added, "If you recall the original 'Batman' TV series musical intro you'll probably remember the way they sang 'Bat-maaaaaaaan.'"

The dolphin spontaneously vocalized to the rhythms, so the researchers started to reward the male with fish whenever it matched its "singing" to the rhythms. By the end of the studies, the scientists could show an object, such as the Batman doll, which represented a certain rhythm/vocalization combo to the dolphin, and it would create the correct sounds both vocally and using the switch.

Gordon Bauer, associate professor of psychology at the New College of Florida who did not work on the studies, told Discovery News, "This is the first report, to my knowledge, of a nonhuman mammal's ability to discriminate rhythmic patterns."

Bauer, however, doubts that dolphins realize they are producing what people consider to be "music."

"I think music is a human construct," he said. "I doubt that it has pertinence to animals, although the elements of music, such as pitch, time, timbre, rhythm, etc., may be incorporated into animal communication."

Harley agrees, and hopes the everyday vocalizations of dolphins will be analyzed in terms of their rhythmic content. In the near future, she and her team are planning to test the dolphins on their ability to recognize recordings of their own rhythms by having them associate their own sound creations with identifying objects similar to the "Batman" doll.

---

Name: Bottle-Nosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Primary Classification: Odontoceti (Toothed Whales)
Location: Worldwide
Habitat: Tropical coastal waters and open ocean.
Diet: Fish, crustaceans and mollusks.
Size: Up to 13 ft in length and 1,100 lbs in weight.
Description: Short bottle-shaped beak; conical teeth, tall dorsal fin; largest of the beaked dolphins; large brain
Cool Facts: It will aid fellow dolphins in distress, allowing them to breathe by supporting them at the water's surface. It is born with hair on its beak.
Conservation Status: Common

Get More News: