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Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks
SHARK BAY, AUSTRALIA, JUL 15 – Only about 5% of dolphins in Shark Bay use sponge foraging, a skill passed from mothers to calves that complicates echolocation but improves fish hunting efficiency.
- In Shark Bay, marine biologists observed a dolphin group using sea sponges to forage, revealing their novel hunting technique and the challenges it entails.
- This practice, Janet Mann said, protects dolphins’ beaks from sharp rocks and is passed down exclusively from mother to offspring.
- Computer modelling shows how sponges interfere with echolocation, Jacobs said, and it hinders learning and navigation, due to a muffling effect similar to wearing a mask.
- Despite its rarity, and only about 5% of the dolphin population engage in sponge foraging, Jacobs said, totaling about 30 dolphins.
- This study enhances understanding of dolphin intelligence, social learning and adaptation, supported by the Associated Press Health and Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Strange Dolphin Hunting Aid: a Sponge
Some dolphins in Australia have a special technique to flush fish from the seafloor: They hunt with a sponge on their beak, like a clown nose. Using the sponge to protect from sharp rocks, the dolphins swim with their beaks covered, shoveling through rubble at the bottom of sandy channels...
Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks
Some dolphins in Australia have a special technique to flush fish from the seafloor. They hunt with a sponge on their beak, like a clown nose.Using the sponge to protect from sharp rocks, the dolphins swim with their beaks covered, shoveling through rubble at the bottom of sandy channels and stirring up barred sandperch for a meal.But this behavior — passed down through generations — is trickier than it looks, according to new research published…
"Everything looks a little weird": a small group of dolphins in Australia uses sponges as protection when looking for fish in the sand, a complex skill.
These Genius Dolphins Use Tools—But It Comes at a Surprising Cost - Commonwealth Union
Australia (Commonwealth)_ A fascinating foraging behaviour observed among some dolphins in Australia involves a particular technique for dislodging fish from the seafloor. This practice, known as “sponging”, protects their beaks from getting damaged by sharp rocks as they carefully sift through rubble in sandy channels at the ocean’s bottom. This disturbance effectively stirs up prey, like barred sandperch, making them easier to catch. Recent re…
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