Incredible but true: four animals that can imitate human speech. Video

Some animals can imitate various sounds that are unusual for them: from human speech to car alarms. A researcher managed to capture this miracle on camera.

Scientists are studying all the animals to understand which one is the best imitator. So far, the best of the best in this sound realm are killer whales, ducks, seals, and elephants, Iflscience writes.

Talking marine mammals

A killer whale named Vicky, who lived in the Marineland Aquarium in Antibes in southern France, was taught to imitate human speech. After a while, she was able to say words and even phrases. Vicky, 14, had no trouble saying "hello," "bye-bye," and calling her trainer Amy by name. Although her pronunciation was not perfect, she even learned to count to three in human language.

Vicky's skills raise interesting questions about these intelligent marine mammals and their acquisition of vocal sounds. Although the orca did not understand the meaning of these words, her facial expressions were quite accurate.

A beluga whale named NOC had similar skills. This handsome beluga was acquired in the 1970s for an Arctic initiative known as Cold Ops, part of the U.S. Navy's Marine Mammal Program.

From the age of two, NOC was surrounded by US Navy trainers. Without any training, the beluga learned to mimic grunts, a kind of underwater imitation of human speech at a great distance. It was as if NOC was trying to break the language gap with the humans who constantly surrounded him.

A seal named Hoover has special skills. He was rescued as a pup and lived in a house for some time before being transported to a New England aquarium in the 1970s. During his time living with people, Hoover picked up some words from his owner. The seal often shouted "Hey, hey, get out!". He even knew how to name the state where he lived - Maine.

The world's first talking orca

Our list of talking animals includes a domesticated duck named Ripper. He could easily imitate the sound of his cage door. This feathered prankster also learned to repeat his owner's favorite phrase: "You're a fucking fool!".

Elephant learns Korean

But the first place in this rating was deservedly won by the male Asian elephant Kosik. This smart guy learned to imitate the voice of his trainer in Korea by sticking his trunk in his mouth.

"The pigtail is able to match both the pitch and timbre of the human voice. It accurately imitates the pitch of its trainers. This is remarkable, given the huge size, long vocal tract, and other anatomical differences between elephants and humans," explained zoologist Angela Stoger.

The facial expressions are so precise that "Korean speakers can easily understand and transcribe the imitations," Stoger and her colleagues write in a study of the unique elephant's vocalizations.

The research team believes that Kosik's imitations arose from the need to communicate with other elephants and with different types of living creatures.

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