ANIMAL CURIOSITIES

From Koshik the elephant to Alex the parrot: animals that can imitate the sound of the human voice

You will discover the incredible story of Koshik, the Korean elephant that reproduces tones similar to human speech, and Alex, the African gray parrot that has proven it can communicate bidirectionally with humans.

This collection of images will also take you on a discovery of three other extraordinary animal specimens that have been able to amaze scholars and fascinate the public with their vocal abilities.

Get ready to explore this fascinating aspect of animal communication and be enchanted by their amazing imitations. (Source: theguardian)

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From Koshik the elephant to Alex the parrot: 5 animals that can imitate the sound of the human voice
You will discover the incredible story of Koshik, the Korean elephant that reproduces tones similar to human speech, and Alex, the African gray parrot that has proven it can communicate bidirectionally with humans. This collection of images will also take you on a discovery of three other extraordinary animal specimens that have been able to amaze scholars and fascinate the public with their vocal abilities. Get ready to explore this fascinating aspect of animal communication and be enchanted by their amazing imitations. (Source: theguardian)
Freepik
Rocky the orangutan
In 2016, Dr. Adriano Lameira of the University of Durham (UK) led a team of scholars demonstrating that orangutans can manage their vocal register, communicating similarly to humans. The research focused on Rocky, a primate at Indianapolis zoo, which reproduced the speech of its keepers to obtain food.
Photo by KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP via Getty Images
Koshik the elephant
Angela Stoeger-Horwath, of the University of Vienna (AUT), documented in 2012 an astonishing case of human-like communication. The protagonist? Koshik, Korean male elephant. To emit tones and formants similar to human speech, Koshik positioned its trunk inside its mouth, creating a vocal tract suitable for such expression.
Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
Noc, the beluga whale
A study conducted after recording human-like calls showed that the wails of Noc, a captive male beluga whale, had rhythms close in pattern and pitch to human speech. This phenomenon was discovered in 1984 by researchers at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego (USA), who initially thought they heard people talking inside a whale tank. The source of such sounds was, in fact, the beluga whale Noc. (Pictured is a generic beluga).
Photo by Mark Wilson/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Alex, the parrot
Dr. Irene Pepperberg, an animal psychologist at the University of Harvard (USA) showed that although Alex, an African gray parrot, may not master language, it was able to interact with humans through two-way forms of communication and expression. This discovery comes from a 30-year-long study conducted by Dr. Pepperberg. Previously, the scientific community believed that birds, lacking primate-like brains, were incapable of dealing with complex mental tasks.
Freepik
Orca
Fascinating research has revealed the amazing ability of killer whales to emulate the complexity of human language. Josep Call, an expert on the evolution of the mind at the renowned University of St Andrews (UK), actively participated in the study, stating that this discovery revealed how killer whales are able to learn sounds by imitating the human voice.
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