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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
