A new discovery sheds light on the intricate social lives of bottlenose dolphins, revealing their playful interactions as a key aspect of their bonding.
Dolphins are beloved amongst researchers and laypeople alike. These charming cetaceans have, for as long as we’ve known of them, fascinated us with their intelligence, playfulness and complex social lives. With their acrobatic leaps, their intricate whistles and the fascinating clicks they use to communicate, dolphins continue to surprise researchers with just how intriguing their everyday lives are.
A groundbreaking new discovery (as of October 2024) has revealed an unexpected and endearing behavior in bottlenose dolphins that underpins their playful interactions—and hints at just how deeply they bond with one another. Beyond deepening our understanding of their social lives, this finding also emphasizes the fact that, in many ways, the gap between humans and dolphins might not be as wide as we think.Play, for humans, is an integral part of well-being and development—from early childhood, and even in adulthood. Given that it requires imagination, coordination and collaboration, it serves as an indescribably important way for us to develop our physical, emotional, social and mental skills. This, in many ways, applies similarly to the animal kingdom—including marine mammals. Generally, any behavior that serves purely enrichment purposes—as opposed to meeting survival needs—can be described as play for animals, according to a 2015 study. Specifically, this entails behaviors that are intrinsically fun and rewarding to the animal, and are always spontaneous, voluntary and, most importantly, intentional. Like play isn’t always a playful interaction, which is a departure that applies to almost any animal. Some instances of chasing, hitting and jumping may look like fun and games to us humans, but—in many cases—it usually serves an evolutionary purpose
Dolphins Play Social Bonding Marine Mammals Animal Behavior
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