The findings show that by using at least two cues to identify individuals, dolphins have a complex understanding of their family and friends
We humans rely on a suite of cues to recognize our friends, such as their smiles, their voices, or the way they walk. Biologists have known for several decades that dolphins form close friendships, and that the cetaceans identify pals by their unique whistles. Now new surprising research suggests, a marine biologist at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, didn’t set out to test whether bottlenose dolphins could identify each other through their urine.
The findings are the first robust evidence of an animal identifying other members of its species using taste. They also show that by using at least two cues to identify individuals, dolphins have a complex understanding of their family and friends—much as humans do. In expansive pools containing temporarily separated dolphins, the scientists poured water with ice into the water and then watched to see how each animal responded. Curious dolphins that explored the ice water were good candidates for the experiment. Next, the team needed to test whether the animals' reactions to ice water and urine varied, and whether they responded differently to familiar versus unfamiliar urine.
“The dolphins were very, very keen to participate,” says Bruck, who added they weren’t rewarded with food. “Usually, dolphins get bored with my experiments. We were tapping into something that is part of the dolphins’ world.”The final test investigated whether dolphins had a paired understanding of other dolphins’ cues—in other words, if an individual’s whistle and urine were connected in their minds.
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