It is surprising and reveals that the behavior of dolphins in this respect is very similar to that of great apes.

Young dolphins can learn new skills from peers. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Current Biology. It means that dolphins learn important life lessons not only from their mothers, but also from other species.

Hunting method
The researchers studied a group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops wastes) from the Western Australian Shark Bay. These dolphins have been followed closely for more than 35 years. In the mid-1990s, a research team discovered that these dolphins have a very special hunting method. When prey hides in large, empty shells of giant sea snails, the dolphins use their noses to transport the shells to the surface. Then they rattle the animal in the shell outside west and then slurp it in (curious what that looks like? Watch the animation here).

Sponges
The trick with the shells is not the only trick that the bottlenose dolphins in the Australian bay have mastered. The dolphins also use sea ​​sponges to dig up food from the bottom. Why? Tasty fish with a high nutritional value live at the bottom of the sea. However, tracking down these fish is not easy: they live under the sand and cannot be found by echolocation. The dolphins have to move their beak on the ground to feel them. And that is dangerous: the ground is rocky and easily injures the animals. Therefore, the bottlenose dolphins first grab a soft sea sponge and place it so that it covers their beak. This protects them from hard pieces of stone or coral. Then they can safely search the soil for food.–

Hunting methods are usually passed on from mother to young. For a long time, scientists therefore thought that dolphins only learn to forage from their mother. But the new study now shows something different. The researchers saw that some young dolphins observed peers while they performed the special trick with the shells. Then these young dolphins tried it themselves. It means that dolphins learn directly from peers. “These results are very surprising,” says study leader Sonja Wild. “Dolphins are often quite conservative and usually learn to hunt from their mother. However, our results show that dolphins are certainly capable and – in the case of the trick with the shells – also very motivated to learn new techniques outside the mother. ”

Mother and cub under water. Image: Sonja Wild – Dolphin Innovation Project

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Great apes
Not only is this discovery very surprising, it also reveals that dolphins and apes are quite similar in some ways. Certain primates such as gorillas, chimpanzees and of course ourselves also learn both vertically (from mother to child) and horizontally (between peers). “Despite the different evolutionary histories of dolphins and apes and the fact that they live in very different environments, they are both long-lived mammals with large brains,” said researcher Michael Krützen. “They also both have innovative thinking skills. The fact that the trick with the shells is socially transferred between peers and not from mother to young emphasizes the similarities between cetaceans and apes. ”

According to the researchers, the findings have important implications. It means that dolphins may be able to adapt more easily to their changing habitat. “Learning from others ensures that new behaviors spread quickly,” Wild explains. “It is said that species that have the ability to learn from others in this way may survive better.” Still, the future of the bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay is uncertain. So it turns out the dolphins give birth to less young by a warmer ocean. And that is quite worrying. It means that higher temperatures have a greater impact on dolphins than previously thought.