Irish Dolphins may have a unique dialect The Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation 1 has been studying a group of up to 120 bottle-nose dolphins in the River Shannon2 using vocalisations collected on a computer in a cow shed3 near the River Shannon. We are building up a catalogue of the different whistle types they use and trying to associate them with behaviour like foraging, resting, socialising and the communications of groups with calves, project leader Simon Berrow said. Essentially we are building up what is like a dictionary of words they use or sounds they make. When I first heard it I was surprised as I thought sperm whales were the only species who used it. We can speculate the dolphins are using it for the same reason as the sperm whales, Berrow said. They are regularly seen by passengers on the Shannon ferry and an estimated 25,000 tourists every year take special sightseeing tours on local boats to visit them. Irish adj. 爱尔兰的 socialise v. 社交,交往 bottle-nose dolphin 宽吻海豚 sperm whale 巨头鲸 estuary n. 河口,江口 shed n. 小屋,棚 whistle n. 啸声 gunshot n. 射击声 pulse n. 脉冲 注释: 2. the Shannon River:香农河[ 位于爱尔兰共和国的中西部] |