Science Bulletins: Whales Give Dolphins a Lift

Many species interact in the wild, most often as predator and prey. But recent encounters between humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins reveal a playful side to interspecies interaction. In two different locations in Hawaii, scientists watched as dolphins "rode" the heads of whales: the whales lifted the dolphins up and out of the water, and then the dolphins slid back down. The two species seemed to cooperate in the activity, and neither displayed signs of aggression or distress. Whales and dolphins in Hawaiian waters often interact, but playful social activity such as this is extremely rare between species. The latest Bio Bulletin from the Museum's Science Bulletins program presents the first recorded examples of this type of behavior. Visitors to AMNH may view the video in the Hall of Biodiversity until February 9, 2012.

Science Bulletins is a production of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History. Find out more about Science Bulletins at http://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/.

Related Links:

Two Unusual Interactions Between a Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and a Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hawaiian Waters
http://bit.ly/yaLlSw

The Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, Inc.
http://www.hamerhawaii.com/index.htm

National Marine Mammal Foundation
http://nmmpfoundation.org/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• scibulletins
• Whale
• Science
• dolphin
• amnh

[velocimasterx7]

Whale: "Do you see ANY intelligent life up there?"

Dolphin: "...nope nothing."

[ishudbesurfing]

why did humans get so out of touch with nature? There's a modern philosopher (I can't remember his name) who tells us that humans are "speciests" which is a type of racism towards other species... Ignorantly we see ourselves as superior to other life forms but the reality is all life is interdependent and one system. It went something like that...

[LoaSilverSword]

@Textra1 Yes, cetaceans do have responsibilities, and the fact that they are already fulfilling them is one of the reasons why they should have rights. Don't you know that countless people have been helped by dolphins in the ocean? That dolphins and orcas in their natural habitat never commit murder against people (in case you heard about Tião, I think his case qualifies as self defense)? They are fulfilling their part of the Golden Rule, we are not.

[BackInsight]

Cool!

[scottwebb]

I think what you're seeing is a type of Hug.

[stellarworker]

What fabulous photography. Too bad there is no video of this.

[theblue9589]

I think its the whales hood ornament

[katrinalisa2002]

@Textra1 as natural as you being arrested next time you eat a burger for murdering a cow.

[Textra1]

@XtremePacifist

It's time to grow up. You sit there, the recipient of the wonders that technology and corporate enterprising bring and have the audacity to say it's an evil. Next time you feel like taking a crap, go outside, dig a hole and bury it because using the plumbing in your house is using the fruits of capitalism. Or better yet, next time you feel like making an absurdly childish comment on the internet, developed by the military btw, just STFU instead. Ass

[Textra1]

This 'Rights for Cetaceans' thing is absurd. Shall we give them a seat at the UN too? What is so special about dolphins and whales that they deserve special rights over other animals? Can my cat get a declaration of rights too? If you want animals to have rights, then they must have responsibilities too. The next time a cat eats a mouse, it must be charged with murder. This is the logical extension of what animals rights advocates want, yet they never seem to mention the responsibilities part.

[faron27]

very cool