Set as Homepage - Add to Favorites

日韩欧美成人一区二区三区免费-日韩欧美成人免费中文字幕-日韩欧美成人免费观看-日韩欧美成人免-日韩欧美不卡一区-日韩欧美爱情中文字幕在线

【???? ???? ????? ??????】The curious reasons why dolphins play

Vincent Janik,???? ???? ????? ?????? a marine biologist, vividly recalls watching a pod of dolphins play with seagrass during a field visit to Mikura Island in Japan in 2014. 

"They were wrapping the seagrass over their fins and flippers, and passed it on for other dolphins to pick up," Janik, who is also the director of the Scottish Ocean Institute in the United Kingdom, told Mashable.

Most animals, humans included, play. But play in dolphins and some other marine mammals seems especially remarkable. Dolphins are profoundly curious creatures, which drives them to seek activity and stimulation. What's more, the facial anatomy of a dolphin makes it look like they're smiling, and they perform notably playful acts like performing somersaults and leaping around boats.


You May Also Like

"Why do dolphins play?"might seem like a simple question. But it's hard to identify the reasons, say marine researchers. What looks like play to humans might be more than just fun to dolphins.

SEE ALSO: There's a fascinating new clue to the giant megalodon's extinction

Playing is not always what it seems

Sometimes the highest level of brain development in animals happens during play, and this could be the case for dolphins, Holli Eskelinen, a dolphin researcher and a lecturer at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, told Mashable. 

Eskelinen once observed a dolphin calf playing with a stick in its mouth. After a couple of months, she found the dolphin learned to use the same stick movement to manipulate and move mangrove seed pods. So, as the dolphins grow, play becomes a way for them to learn what they're capable of, and to stimulate their brains.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"What we observe might be anecdotally classified as play, but it could serve a bigger biological purpose," Eskelinen told Mashable.  

"What we observe might be anecdotally classified as play, but it could serve a bigger biological purpose."

Though play is a behavior associated with many terrestrial and aquatic creatures, it is dolphins’ curious nature that possibly separates their play behavior from that of other animals, according to Janik. For instance, dolphins become intrigued when they encounter puffer fish, an interesting creature that blows itself up like a ball to evade predators. But dolphins chase these fish, and sometimes play catch by passing them back and forth.

A BBC documentaryeven claimed that a toxin released by puffer fish intoxicates dolphins. However, that's still a hypothesis. There isn’t nearly enough evidence to prove the intoxication theory, according to Heather Hill, who researches dolphin behavior and teaches psychology at St. Mary’s University, in Texas. "I think puffers are just another kind of interesting thing for dolphins to mess with," she said.

For dolphins, play starts young. By playing, dolphin calves learn to interact with other members of their pod. It helps them understandthe emotional state of other dolphins. They begin playing just days after birth, when mothers nurse their young. This, surprisingly, often involves the genitalia, explained Hill. The mother, with its rostrum or mouth, basically gooses its calves. The calves appear to find that pleasurable, Hill said.


Related Stories
  • The deep sea discoveries and sightings of 2021 are amazing
  • A dominant shark lurks in the deep, dark ocean. Meet the sixgill.
  • The oceans absorbed an unfathomable amount of heat this decade
  • New giant squid footage shows they're not terrible monsters, after all
  • Deep sea scientists find strange, transparent fish on ocean expedition
dolphins playing with a ballDolphins in captivity get more opportunities to play because they don't have to spend time foraging. Credit: Checchi Alberto / Getty Images

In captive conditions, such as zoos, there are many opportunities to watch dolphins flip and play with objects. Dolphins, being social mammals, get along well with humans in these environments, said Hill. "We can often get them to play hide and seek and peekaboo kinds of games," she said. Wild dolphins, though they don't have the same toys, have similar play behaviors. But these free dolphins must spend more time foraging and hunting, meaning they have less time to play. 

Dolphins playing with a puffer fishDolphins become curious when they encounter puffer fish, a fish that inflates itself to escape from its predators. Credit: Ramil dolphins / Shutterstock

Sometimes dolphins, be it captive or wild, do seem to play just to have fun and perhaps relax, said the Scottish Ocean Institute’s Janik. Dolphins play an unusual game, creating bubble rings in the water that last for about a minute. They do this by exhaling air near the water surface. Then, they destroy those bubbles by biting or just swimming through them.

"There's a lot of questions that still need to be answered and connected for us to understand."

But, it becomes a bit tricky to distinguish between a play fight and serious fight in dolphins, Janik explained. The physical behaviors that we see in play can also be seen when dolphins clash, or when they become aggressive. In some animals, like in dogs or wolves, it's very clear when the animals are sending non-serious play signals, Janik said. "But this is not the case with most marine mammals," he told Mashable.

Overall, there's still much to learn about dolphin play and overall behavior, emphasized Eskelinen. She remembers once watching a mother swimming around its dead calf for a period of time, and wonders what purpose it could have served. "There's a lot of questions that still need to be answered and connected for us to understand," Eskelinen said.

0.1334s , 9947.265625 kb

Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【???? ???? ????? ??????】The curious reasons why dolphins play,Public Opinion Flash  

Sitemap

Top 主站蜘蛛池模板: 91亚洲无码视频 | 激情文学综合丁香 | 久久婷婷午夜精品二区 | 麻豆免费网站 | 波多野结衣强奷系列在线免费韩剧在线 | 久久久久国产午夜 | 麻婆豆传媒一区二区三区 | 久久精品无码免费不卡 | 国产成人精品午夜视频免费 | 天天综合-永久入口7799 | 蝌蚪自拍网站 | 国产精品无码高清在线 | 日本国产最新一区二区三区 | 麻豆精品新区乱码卡:全新视觉体验 | 欧美日韩在线精品一区二区三区激情综合 | 制服亚洲另类 | 日韩美女在线观看一区二区日 | 国内精品久久久久久中文字 | 欧美亚洲另类一区中文字幕 | 亚洲色大18成人 | 久久综合久久自在自线精品自 | 日韩高清专区 | 日韩精品一区二区三区欧美肥女人作 | 欧美亚洲国产中文日韩一区二区 | 久久久久精品国产免费 | 国产v精品欧美精品v日韩 | 亚洲精品美女偷拍一区二 | 国产精品波多野结衣 | 日韩一级视频在线观看播放 | 一本色道无码道在线观看 | 抽插嗯好爽好舒服好大 | 国产精品久久久久无码人妻精品 | 久久久国产精品无码免 | 国产va免费精品高清在线观看综合网站gay麻豆 国产va免费视频一区二区三区 | av免费网址国产精品 | 日本正能量不良网站 | 国产综合色香蕉精品五夜婷 | 国产精品久久久久国产三级无码 | 国产亚洲日韩在线a不卡 | 欧美日韩国产综合在线播放 | av无码在线免费观看 |