Dolphins Demonstrate Remarkable Learning Skills: Acquiring New Hunting Techniques from Peers, Not Just Family

In a groundbreaking study, dolphins have displayed extraordinary learning abilities, surprising scientists with their capacity to acquire new hunting techniques from non-family members, not just from their mothers. The findings suggest that these highly intelligent marine mammals, similar to great apes, can engage in what biologists refer to as “horizontal transmission” of knowledge, a phenomenon previously unseen in dolphins.

Led by biologist Sonja Wild from Leeds University, the study observed dolphins off the coast of Australia, particularly in Western Australia’s Shark’s Bay. During their boat-based surveys, researchers witnessed the dolphins using a unique foraging technique called “shelling.” This method involves shaking hidden prey out of discarded shells, which can be found on the seafloor. Dolphins skillfully use their beaks to carry the shells to the surface and then vigorously shake them to reveal the trapped fish within.

Traditionally, hunting techniques in dolphins have been thought to be passed down from one generation to the next through the mother-calf bond, known as “vertical social transmission.” However, this study revealed that the dolphins in Shark’s Bay exhibited a remarkable ability to learn the shelling technique from unrelated peers—a form of learning described as “horizontal transmission.” This phenomenon is common among great apes, gorillas, and even humans but had never been observed before in dolphins.

The team of researchers monitored over 1,000 dolphins during their study and documented more than 40 instances of shelling behavior between 2007 and 2018. Interestingly, these shelling behaviors were performed by nearly 20 different dolphins, leading the researchers to believe that the technique may be more widespread than their observations suggested. Shelling, being a complex foraging tactic, demonstrated the dolphins’ capacity for behavioral adaptation and innovation.

Dr. Wild emphasized the significance of these findings, stating that the ability of dolphins to learn from their peers opens up new perspectives on their behavioral adaptability to changing environments. This social transmission of knowledge allows novel behaviors to spread rapidly across dolphin populations, making them even more adaptable than previously believed.

The study speculated on the reasons behind the emergence of this learning behavior. The researchers proposed that environmental factors, such as a marine heatwave that significantly impacted Shark Bay’s seagrass habitat and the population of gastropods living in the shells, might have influenced the dolphins’ adoption of new foraging techniques. With a surplus of dead giant gastropod shells, the opportunities for learning shelling behavior from associates likely increased.

Notably, this is the first time scientists have observed such horizontal transmission of hunting techniques among any species of toothed whales (odontocetes), which includes dolphins, porpoises, beaked whales, and sperm whales. The discovery highlights the cultural similarities that dolphins share with other highly intelligent species, such as great apes, chimpanzees, gorillas, and even humans.

Dolphins have long been celebrated for their intelligence, possessing brain size and mass-to-body ratio similar to humans. This study adds to the mounting evidence of their exceptional cognitive abilities and their remarkable capacity to learn from one another. The researchers hope that further investigations into dolphin learning behaviors will deepen our understanding of these fascinating marine creatures and provide valuable insights into their social and environmental adaptations.

The comprehensive findings of this study were published in the journal Current Biology, heralding a new era of research into the intricacies of dolphin learning and social dynamics. As the quest for knowledge about these captivating creatures continues, we are left in awe of the astounding intelligence and social sophistication exhibited by these remarkable marine mammals.