Air is forced out of the air sac and over the nasal plug, producing the various sounds. At the opening of each air sac is a nasal plug. After the dolphin takes a breath, it closes its blowhole, and air returns from the lungs into the channel leading to the blowhole, and, into one or more of the air sacs. Sounds are produced in three pairs of air sacs located underneath the blowhole. The most widely accepted hypothesis is the nasal sac theory. There are two hypotheses about how dolphins produce sound underwater. These sounds are generated inside the dolphin’s head, under the blowhole, and, generally, without air escaping from the dolphin's blowhole. The sounds that a dolphin makes underwater serve to help them navigate, locate food, glean information about the environment, and to communicate with other dolphins. It works very well there is no way you can walk past a 'screaming' dolphin and not reply in some fashion! At DRC, the dolphins apparently vocalize to get people’s attention as they walk by the lagoons. The dolphins have great muscle control over their blowholes and can alter the sounds by changing the size and shape of the blowhole opening.

The dolphins often make up new sounds that are mimicked by their pool mates and passed around the facility.ĭolphins make sounds in air by releasing air through their blowholes. These sounds, such as 'giggle' ( Hear a dolphin 'giggle') and 'raspberry,' ( Hear a 'razz' sound) were invented by the dolphins and encouraged by the staff. The dolphins at Dolphin Research Center, on the other hand, have developed quite a repertoire of sounds produced in the air. Wild dolphins mainly make sounds underwater, although they have been known to emit high-pitched whistles both under the water and above the surface when in distress. Dolphins produce sounds differently in air and underwater.

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