Recently I saw a headline that really got my attention: Do any animals call each other by name?

It’s quite possible. Scientists have discovered that young bottlenose dolphins create signature whistles that are individually distinctive. They use the whistles to find each other and can recognize other dolphins from the frequency and “shape” of the whistle. Also, researchers have found that African elephants call each other with specific vocalizations unique to each animal. Some parrot species have shown similar behaviors.

But should a distinctive individualized vocalization be considered a name? Kelly Jaakkola, a cognitive psychologist at the Dolphin Research Center in Florida, and colleagues proposed three minimum criteria for naming in a July 2026 paper: individual reference, meaning the call is designated for one particular individual; symbolic representation, meaning the name stands for a specific individual in the user’s mind; and shared meaning, where at least two individuals associate the name with that individual. Using these criteria, current data suggest bottlenose dolphins show the strongest evidence for the use of animal names, with more research needed for other species.

It’s a fascinating topic to research that would give insight into both their thought processes and social structures. Considering the number of species that organize themselves into social groups, from monkeys to orcas, some type of name association may be more common than we realize.

For more information, see “Do Other Animals Call Each Other By Name?” at https://www.livescience.com/animals/do-other-animals-call-each-other-by-name