Ecology
American researchers were literally shocked when they saw a beluga whale (a mammal related to toothed whales), which made sounds extremely reminiscent of human speech. As it turned out, the so-called white whale has learned to copy the peculiarity and duration of the sounds of human speech. Enterprising scientists only have to train the animal a little to diversify the sounds produced.
According to scientists, a nine-year-old beluga whale named Nock makes specific sounds. However, it may not be surprising, since white whales have been called “sea canaries” since ancient times — and all because of their specific chirping sounds (and not only them!) that these animals emitted. There are many stories that these mammals quite successfully imitated the moans, screams and even the speech of sailors. However, not a single documentary evidence of such abilities of the “white whale” has been presented so far.
American scientists from the National Marine Mammal Foundation in California, who periodically dived into the depths to study marine fauna, most recently noticed Knock's outstanding vocal skills.
The researchers noted that the laryngeal sounds made by beluga whales are characterized by specific time intervals characteristic of human speech. As a result, scientists were able to record the “speech” of the animal, which is not like the sounds made by whales, but human speech.
Subsequently, scientists began to reward Knock for her sounds with various treats, teaching her to “speak” on command. A special signal sensor was even implanted into the nasal cavity, where, in fact, all the sounds of this animal are born, which made it possible to record the very process of making sounds. As it turned out, Knock can quickly change the pressure inside the nasal cavity, which allows her to “talk” like this.
To expand the relatively narrow range of low-frequency sounds that the animal “talks” with, Knock draws additional air into a special vestibular sac in his breath ( respiratory opening in cetaceans). It is noteworthy that the main function of this breath is to protect the animal's lungs from penetrating into the water. In other words, it is far from easy for Nock to fake sounds the way she does!
According to Sam Ridgway, President of the National Marine Mammal Foundation, a beluga whale named Knock had to literally rebuild its voice apparatus in order to learn how to publish sounds similar to human speech.
Scientists have provided a recording of Nok's sounds, which, unfortunately, is not accompanied by appropriate video material. While some users doubt the authenticity of this sound recording, others express their admiration for the capabilities of the “talkative” beluga whale.