A Wild Leap of Faith!

Sure dolphins and whales are able to co-exist in the same habitat, but it also seems that they just might be friends too. The humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) particularly were seen frolicking about and playing with each other in Hawaiian waters.

According to a research article published in the Aquatic Mammals Journal, Humpback whales and bottle-nosed dolphins engage in “social play” or “object play” [1]. The most plausible explanation that the researchers deemed for the observed interaction is play. The reason this behavior is noteworthy is because “social play” is a common behavior among the dolphins but this behavior has never been observed to carry across to other species.

The dolphins were witnessed to be “riding” playfully on the heads of the whales. First the whale lifts the dolphin up and out of the water and then the dolphin slips back into the water, tail first. Next the whale picks the dolphin up and the motion is repeated and this is done with the synergism of the dolphin. The whale acts as a form of a slide for the dolphins to play. 

Observations by the Science Bulletins show that “the two species seems to cooperate in the activity, and neither displayed signs of aggression or distress” despite sharing a common habitat [2].

As most interspecies interactions in the wild are the aggressions between the predator and prey, the observation of this playful frolicking between the two species is considered significant. This is supported by comments of Science Bulletins: “Whales and dolphins in Hawaiian waters often interact, but playful social activity such as this is extremely rare between species.”[3] Also, according to Science Bulletins, these are the “first recorded examples of this type of behavior [in the wild].”[4]

Science Bulletins: Whales Give Dolphins a Lift

 

 

Reference:

[1] Deakos, M. H., Branstetter, B. K., Mazzuca, L., Fertl, D., & Mobley, Jr, J. R., 2010. Two Unusual Interactions Between a Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncates) and a Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hawaiian Waters. Aquatic Mammals, 36(2): 121-128.

[2] “Whales Give Dolphins a Lift.” Science Bulletins, January 2012. URL: http://www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins/(watch)/bio/news/whales-give-dolphins-a-lift (accessed on 6 Mar 2013).

[3] “Whales Give Dolphins a Lift.” Science Bulletins, January 2012. URL: http://www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins/(watch)/bio/news/whales-give-dolphins-a-lift (accessed on 6 Mar 2013).

[4] “Whales Give Dolphins a Lift.” Science Bulletins, January 2012. URL: http://www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins/(watch)/bio/news/whales-give-dolphins-a-lift (accessed on 6 Mar 2013).

[5] “Dolphin and Whale playing,” by Lori Mazzuca. URL: http://www.factzoo.com/mammals/humpback-whale-recovering-population.html (accessed on 8 Mar 2013).