Orcas Imitate Human Speech as a Way to Communicate With Us

Orcas Imitate Human Speech as a Way to Communicate With Us

Learn how the deeply intelligent killer whale learns to communicate by listening.

The line between human and nonhuman is becoming increasingly thin, and it is in the ocean that this line is about to be crossed. Did you know that, in 2018, an orca named Wikie demonstrated the ability to imitate human words like “hello” and “one two three”? I discovered this study by pure chance, and made sure that the news was true: orcas are creatures of extraordinary cognitive complexity. These marine predators, often feared and misunderstoo…