[Heartlogic-dev] dolphins!

[Joshua N Pritikin]

Mark J. Xitco, John D. Gory, Stan A. Kuczaj, Spontaneous pointing by
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Animal Cognition, Volume 4,
Issue 2, Oct 2001, Pages 115 - 123

Abstract. Two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) participating
in a symbolic communication project spontaneously developed behaviors
that resembled pointing and gaze alternation. The dolphins' behavior
demonstrated several features reminiscent of referential communicative
behavior. It was triadic, involving a signaler, receiver, and
referent. It was also indicative, specifying a focus of attention. The
dolphins' points were distinct from the act of attending to or acting
on objects. Spontaneous dolphin pointing was influenced by the
presence of a potential receiver, and the distance between that
receiver and the dolphin. These findings suggest that dolphins are
capable of producing referential gestures.

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