Cetacean vocal learning and communication

•Cetacean possess advanced vocal learning skills.•Baleen whales use vocal learning in the development of their song displays.•Toothed whales use learned signals in the maintenance of social relationships.•Dolphins can use learned sounds referentially.•Cetaceans display a surprising list of skills required for language learning in humans.

The cetaceans are one of the few mammalian clades capable of vocal production learning. Evidence for this comes from synchronous changes in song patterns of baleen whales and experimental work on toothed whales in captivity. While baleen whales like many vocal learners use this skill in song displays that are involved in sexual selection, toothed whales use learned signals in individual recognition and the negotiation of social relationships. Experimental studies demonstrated that dolphins can use learned signals referentially. Studies on wild dolphins demonstrated how this skill appears to be useful in their own communication system, making them an interesting subject for comparative communication studies.