Bottlenose Dolphins use unique whistles to identify other individual Dolphins in their social groups, according to a study by scientists who followed groups of the animals off the east coast of Scotland.

By naming each other, the Dolphins are then able to locate each other in the sea, or announce their location to other Dolphins.

“You also often find them between mums and calves if they get separated,” said Saint Andrews University biologist Vincent Janik, who led the research.

“Other contexts are particularly when groups meet at sea, they exchange information about who is present before the groups join, almost like a greeting.”

It’s confirmation of what has been long suspected of he highly intelligent marine mammals, that Dolphins use whistles in the same way humans use names. 

Dr. Janik’s group recorded a group of wild Bottlenose Dolphins, capturing each animal's signature sound, and then played back segments on underwater speakers.  Individual animals responded to their own names, and answered back.

The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.