The SeaWorld Auditory Cueing System
SeaWorld trainers use underwater tones to help train killer whales. The
SeaWorld Auditory Cueing System (SWACS), developed at SeaWorld, is a relatively
new method for communicating with marine mammals. Groups of computer codes
are organized to represent each animal's name, verbs, modifiers, and objects.
A specific tone played into the water corresponds to each computer code.
The tones are based on calls recorded from killer whales in their natural
environment. 
Trainers use waterproof keyboards to select tone codes, and underwater speakers project the tones into the water. To train a killer whale to recognize a tone, a trainer pairs the tone with a hand signal and behavior the whale already knows. Eventually the trainer stops using the hand signal, and the whale learns that the tone itself is the stimulus for the behavior.
The SeaWorld Auditory Cueing System promises to be a useful new tool to help researchers study learning in toothed whales.
Introduction to Animal Behavior | Introduction to Animal Training | How Animals Learn | Marine Mammal Training At SeaWorld | The SeaWorld Auditory Cueing System | Why do We Train Animals? | Bibliography | Books For Young Readers
