A recent study examined Wikie, a captive killer whale at Marineland Aquarium in Antibes,
France, who can mimic human sounds like “hello,” “Amy,” and even blow raspberries. Remarkably,
she can replicate words with little to no practice, sometimes succeeding on her first try.
Orcas are known for their mimicry, often copying the movements and sounds of their kin.
Some reports even suggest they imitate sea lions and bottlenose dolphins. “We wanted to
see how flexible a killer whale can be in copying sounds,” said Josep Call, a co-author
of the study. “We thought what would be really convincing is to present them with something
that is not in their repertoire — and in this case, ‘hello’ is not what a killer whale
would say.” This research could help explain why different orca pods develop distinct
dialects. However, the big question remains: Does Wikie understand the words she’s saying?
