Whistling Ways

There are several animals that vocalise using whistles.

Warning Whistle

Marmots are large rodents related to squirrels that live in large colonies in the mountainous regions of North

America, Asia and Europe.

They have earned the nickname ‘whistle pig’ for their loud whistling calls.

One species called the hoary marmot, found in USA’s northwest, has such a high-pitched shrill whistle that a town in Canada where it is found abundantly, was renamed Whistler after the animal!

Marmots whistle to warn the colony of danger. The whistle varies in urgency, depending on the distance of the predator from the burrows. And depending on the pitch of the whistle, the other marmots either flee helter-skelter into their burrows or continue to forage calmly.

Whistling Hunters

Dholes are wild dogs that are found mainly in central and south India. They are endangered and number around 2500. They are extremely social animals that live and hunt in packs. Working together, the dholes are capable of bringing down large animals like gaurs and wild buffaloes.

One pack may consist of up to 15 dholes. The pack breaks up into smaller groups and then each group cooperates in driving the animal into a corner. Since the groups can’t see each other, the dholes communicate by whistling so that the movements of the pack are coordinated!

Signature Tunes

Dolphins are renowned for their intelligence. One area where they excel is communication. They use a variety of clicks and whistles to talk to each other. The bottlenose dolphin even has a ‘signature tune’. Every individual bottlenose dolphin has a unique whistle that serves as a name.

Research shows that dolphins mimic one another’s whistles to identify themselves and re-establish contact when separated, like a person calling out a friend’s name if they lose sight of one another in a crowd.

Mothers and calves recognise each other by signature whistles and so do two males living in the same pod.