Do dolphins really call each other by name?

The answer

Bottlenose dolphins develop individualized signature whistles within the first few months of life that serve as acoustic identifiers, essentially personal names. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that dolphins respond selectively when they hear their own signature whistle played back to them, turning toward the sound. They also copy the signature whistles of close allies, apparently to call specific individuals. This is one of the very few examples of animals using learned labels for each other, a trait once thought unique to humans.