Wikie, the 14-year-old killer whale, has learned how to sound out words like “hello” and “goodbye” as said by its trainer. With part of its head out of water, Wikie repeated words like “one, two, three” and “Amy” – its trainer’s name. The study was carried out in a marine park in France. The goal was to fi nd out if killer whales are able to learn new sounds by imitating each other. According to previous studies, there are dialects among different groups of whales. This suggests that whales’ chants are not acquired genetically, but that they can be learned. Humans, certain mammals, and birds are the only ones that can imitate sounds from their own species.

QUESTIONS – LEVEL 2

1. What was the goal of the study done on Wikie?

a. Find out what a 14-year-old killer whale can say.
b. Discover if the whale is able to imitate sounds.
c. Identify the whale’s dialect.
d. Learn about the killer whale’s intelligence.

2. How did Wikie learn to say “hello”?