Lonely dolphin in Baltic Sea may be talking to itself, study finds

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A solitary bottlenose dolphin in the Baltic Sea has grown so lonely and devoid of companions that it may have started “talking” to itself, a new study suggests. Researchers sought to determine whether Delle’s calls exhibited “intentionality”, meaning they were aimed at provoking specific responses in others of his species. “If the dolphin’s solitary status was unknown, one might conclude that the recordings captured a group of three different dolphins,” they wrote. “It is highly unusual that the dolphin produced these sounds without any conspecifics present.” Scientists said Delle’s vocalisations could be “emotional signals” or sounds serving functions unrelated to communication.