Hank: Dolphins use baby talk, too. So, you know that high-pitched way that people talk to little kids? Well, a new study published in 2023 concluded that bottlenose dolphins also do that.

The researchers took to the waters of Florida and cast a net to loosely hold whatever dolphins swam by. After recording their whistles and noting which ones had their young calves with them, the researchers let the dolphins go along with their day. And they found that dolphins whistling with their dependent young dolphins present, extended their frequency range higher than they did around other dolphins or by themselves - essentially, talking in a higher-pitched voice. Sound familiar?

It turns out that, like humans, dolphins form long-term bonds between caretakers and children, and we're both lifelong learners in the art of communication. So this newfound similarity in baby talk might be how we both get the attention of little ones to form bonds and teach language.

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