Scientists have cracked the language of dolphins. No, they're not saying "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish " quite yet, but what they've got to say are still quite fascinating:
When meeting strangers in the wild, dolphins whistle signature tunes that may be the animal equivalent of "Hello, my name is…" stickers.
These signature whistles have been observed in captive dolphins for decades, but new research is the first to reveal how these sea mammals use the sounds when one pod meets another in the ocean.
"It's not just 'I'm so-and-so,' but the other information also in that whistle is, 'I'm so-and-so, and I'm interested in making contact in a friendly way, I'm not attacking,'" said study researcher Vincent Janik, an expert in animal communication at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Stephanie Pappas of LiveScience has the scoop: Link
Here is a wild Pacific spinner dolphin (the one on the far left hand side) greeting a human dancer with a 'signature whistle'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMrLAeykLaE&list=UUQRMsAW5DrCK5778QweIDLA&index=17&feature=plcp
Cheers!