Dolphins Choose to Walk… On Water

Posted by Greg Scott _Featured_, Nature Sunday, October 24th, 2010

Dolphins teach themselves to “walk” on water according to research by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.  The actual “walk” means that their body is out of the water and they are fiercely flailing their fluke and they transverse the water.

This is not for any practical reason according to Dr. Mike Bossley who says that they are doing this for recreation as it doesn’t seem to have any other purpose.  Bossley has studied dolpins dwelling in the Port River of Adelaide, Australia for 24 years.

Bossley has discovered that the young infant dolphins have tried to learn the trick from their parents though they haven’t quite perfected it at that age.  This trick is usually something seen at dolphin shows performed by dolphins in captivity and is very uncommon in the wild.

Two adult dolphins being studied – Billie and Wave.  Billie may have learned to “walk” when she was a captive dolphin before she was let back into the open sea.  This trick was then learned by Wave and now the kids Bianca, Hope, and Bubbles are imitating their parents.  There are few other species, if any, that pass behavioral traits that don’t involve seeking food.

Source: BBC 

Photo: Creative Commons Strange Ones