Dolphins bray when chasing down a fish

An array of underwater microphones has allowed the first analysis of which dolphin is doing the talking.

The work suggests that a blurt of low-frequency sound described as a bray might be a hunting call, reports Vincent Janik, now at the Woods Hole (Mass.) Oceanographic Institution.

Janik’s startling imitation of the sound explains the nickname for the donkeylike noise, very different from dolphins’ clicks and high-pitched whistles.