So killer whales can talk. Welcome to a brave new world of cross-species chat | Jules Howard

Wikie the orca is more mimic than raconteur, but the potential is awesome. Imagine dolphins tackling politicians on pollutionA bridge in cultures has occurred. A cognitive chasm between intelligent creatures has been crossed. Of all the spectacular times for you to be alive, you happen to have been born in an age when killer whales started talking to the damn dirty apes who were willing to listen. Though this sounds like some sort of sci-fi dream/nightmare, I am here to assure you that this is real. Remain calm, but stay vigilant around all marine mammals at this time. We may be in for a rocky time, as you shall discover.Let us begin by examining the facts. First, it's true. As you may have heard by now, a captive killer whale called Wikie, housed at Marineland in Antibes, France, is uttering noises that mimic the human sounds "Hello" and "Bye-bye" as well as "One, two, three" plus, apparently, the haunting word "Amy" - the name of its trainer. Predictably, within hours of the release of the scientific paper, Wikie has become something of an online celebrity. Continue reading...