Bottlenose dolphins are considered to be one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They are not only able to use sounds to locate items and judge distances they also use them to make other dolphins aware of their presence.

So how do bottlenose dolphins communicate?

Firstly you need to be aware that these creatures do not produce sound in a way that humans do.

Instead of being able to make noises through vocal chords dolphins appear to make noises through their nasal passages. This is through a structure known as the dorsal bursa which have ‘phonic lips’ in them. When air passes through the nasal passages of a dolphin it will vibrate the phonic lips and surrounding tissues resulting in a sound.

Dolphins have two of these phonic lip/ dorsal bursa structures which they are able to make sound through separately or at the same time.

Bottlenose dolphins are able to communicate with each other using sounds that resemble grunts, trills, squeaks, moans and even creaking doors. These sounds will vary in frequency and volume and will change in pattern depending on what they are trying to communicate.

The frequency of the sounds that bottlenose dolphins are able to produce vary between 0.2kHz and 150 kHz. Experts believe that noises that are social have the most energy and at frequencies of less than 40 kHz, sounds that are over this level are thought to be used for determining their location.

Bottlenose dolphins will also have their own signature whistles which other dolphins can easily recognise them by.

As soon as a dolphin calf is born its mother will start to whistle to it and this will last for the first few days of it’s life. This helps the dolphin to recognise its mother and over time a dolphin will adopt its own familiar whistle that other dolphins can recognise it by.