New Scientist
Image: harrisongavin18
It’s a social network like no other. The dolphins of the Bahamas forage and play together and forge alliances – even though they belong to two distinct species. They’re not the only example of mixed-species dolphin groups, but this level of interaction is unprecedented.
“These interactions likely evolved to allow the species to share space and resources and maintain a stable community,” says Cindy Elliser at Pacific Mammal Research in Anacortes, Washington. She previously worked with Denise Herzing at the Wild Dolphin Project, which has been studying social ties between Atlantic bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and spotted (Stenella frontalis) dolphins in the Bahamas for 30 years.
The observations suggest that the two species spend about 15 per cent of their time together, says Elliser. More than half of those encounters involve “friendly” behaviours. “They play and forage together. They even babysit,” she says. On at least two occasions adult female spotted dolphins appeared to be caring for baby bottlenose dolphins for short periods. Researchers have also seen three spotted and two bottlenose dolphins, all pregnant, swimming together. Read more on newscientist.com…
