Marine biologists document unique dolphin feeding and social behaviors

Researchers have documented a unique feeding strategy in a bottlenose dolphin nicknamed Bubbles near Lady Elliot Island in the Great Barrier Reef. According to a study published in Ecology and Evolution, the dolphin engages in cleptoparasitism—a behavior where one animal steals food from another. Bubbles was observed chasing specific fish until they regurgitated their meal, which the dolphin then consumed.

Lead author Asia Armstrong noted that the dolphin appears to select fish with full stomachs, suggesting a learned behavior. Scientists hypothesize that the dolphin may use intense clicking and low-frequency vocalizations to increase the stress levels of the fish, inducing regurgitation.

In a separate study published in Discover Animals, researchers from Griffith University analyzed interactions between dolphins and baleen whales across 17 global locations. The study found that while dolphins are often thought to harass larger whales, only about a quarter of the observed interactions were mutual. However, in one-third of the cases involving humpback whales, the responses to dolphins appeared positive, with whales exhibiting social or courtship-like behaviors.