US EditionSome Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks
SHARK BAY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, JUL 15 – Only about 5% of Shark Bay dolphins use sponges to protect their beaks while hunting, despite this tool interfering with their echolocation ability, researchers found.
- On Tuesday, researchers reported that a subpopulation of dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia, use sponges as foraging tools, but this behavior may interfere with their echolocation, according to new research in Royal Society Open Science.
- Called sponging, the technique shields dolphins’ beaks from sharp rocks in sandy channels, Georgetown marine biologist Janet Mann said, as they stir up barred sandperch for prey.
- Mauricio Cantor described sponge hunting as `like hunting when you're blindfolded—you've got to be very good, very well-trained to pull it off,` and researchers found only about 5% attempt it, with modeling showing sponges muffle echolocation.
- Researchers confirm that dolphins can adjust their echolocation clicks despite the sponge’s muffling effect, co-author Ellen Rose Jacobs said the sponge creates a muffling effect like a mask, and scientists report sponging remains a very efficient way to catch fish.
- Findings shed light on cultural transmission and social learning in marine mammals, supported by the Associated Press Health and Science Department with HHMI and RWJF, highlighting dolphin resilience.
46 Articles
46 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.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 65% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
