麻豆约拍

A killer whale named Wikie can mimic words from humans such as "hello" and "bye bye," and is thought to be the first of its kind to copy human speech.

Whales are among the few animals other than humans that can learn to produce a sound just by hearing it.

The researchers set out to find out whether killer whales could learn new vocalisations by imitating others. They studied Wikie at Marineland Aquarium in Antibes, France.

(Photo: Wikie swims on April 19, 2011 at Marineland animal exhibition park in the French Riviera city of Antibes, southeastern France. Credit: Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images)