Experts urge caution in calling bottlenosed dolphins’ gesture a humanlike “smile,” but agree it seems to be important for how the animals communicate.
The answer, according to a new study of dolphin play, is a resounding “maybe.” Dolphins use their smile-like facial expression. That, the team says, suggests the cetaceans are doing something akin to a human laugh. But other experts urge caution in attributing humanlike behavior to creatures whose intent we can only guess at.
The dolphins mainly showed their open-mouth behavior while playing with a companion, usually another dolphin, the team found. When the animals were playing alone, they practically never did. Furthermore, about 90 percent of open-mouth expressions were performed when the dolphins were in their playmate’s field of view.
“Being able to see some evidence that’s demonstrating in a play context is really great,” says animal behavioralist Erin Frick, who was not involved with the study. But, she adds, dolphins use mouth opening in other contexts as well, such as displaying a threat in an aggressive context. “I don’t think open mouths are always communicating play. I think they do have a role in play,” says Frick, of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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