Dolphins that help us fish also have an odd accent

Abstract

All bottlenose dolphins whistle, but those that work with humans have a distinctive way of doing it. This unusual calling style may help them recognise each other. In the seas off Laguna, Brazil, fishers stand in a line in waist-deep water or wait in canoes while, farther out, bottlenose dolphins chase shoals of mullet to the shore. The fishers can't see the fish in the murky water, so they wait for the dolphins to give a signal--like an abrupt dive or tail slap--before casting their nets. Dolphins likely reap similar benefits, says Mauricio Cantor of the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil