Orcas 'can imitate human speech'
- 6 years ago
Killer whales are able to mimic words such as "hello," according to researchers.
Scientists at the University of St Andrews studied the sounds made by the voice of an orca named Wikie and discovered the 14-year-old female orca was able to say words such as "hello," "one, two" and "bye, bye."
The research appears in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, published today (January 31).
In this file video, an orca kisses a trainer during a show at SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas.
++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN LOOPED++
Scientists at the University of St Andrews studied the sounds made by the voice of an orca named Wikie and discovered the 14-year-old female orca was able to say words such as "hello," "one, two" and "bye, bye."
The research appears in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, published today (January 31).
In this file video, an orca kisses a trainer during a show at SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas.
++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN LOOPED++