Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks
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 Tuesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Hunting with a sponge on their face interferes with bottlenose dolphins' finely tuned sense of echolocation, of emitting sounds and listening for echoes to navigate.
'It has a muffling effect in the way that a mask might,' said co-author Ellen Rose Jacobs, a marine biologist at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. 'Everything looks a little bit weird, but you can still learn how to compensate.'
Jacobs used an underwater microphone to confirm that the 'sponging' dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia, were still using echolocation clicks to guide them. Then she modeled the extent of the sound wave distortion from the sponges.
For those wild dolphins that have mastered foraging with nose sponges, scientists say it's a very efficient way to catch fish. The wild marine sponges vary from the size of a softball to a cantaloupe.
Sponge hunting is 'like hunting when you're blindfolded — you've got to be very good, very well-trained to pull it off,' said Mauricio Cantor, a marine biologist at Oregon State University, who was not involved in the study.
That difficulty may explain why it's rare — with only about 5% of the dolphin population studied by the researchers in Shark Bay doing it. That's about 30 dolphins total, said Jacobs.
'It takes them many years to learn this special hunting skill — not everybody sticks with it,' said marine ecologist Boris Worm at Dalhousie University in Canada, who was not involved in the study.
Dolphin calves usually spend around three or four years with their mothers, observing and learning crucial life skills.
The delicate art of sponge hunting is 'only ever passed down from mother to offspring,' said co-author and Georgetown marine biologist Janet Mann.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Immutep Announces Abstracts Accepted for Presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2025
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, July 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immutep Limited (ASX: IMM; NASDAQ: IMMP) ('Immutep' or 'the Company'), a late-stage immunotherapy company targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announces three abstracts for clinical trials evaluating its first-in-class MHC Class II agonist, eftilagimod alfa (efti), have been accepted for presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 taking place 17-21 October in Berlin, Germany. A Proffered Paper oral presentation will detail results from EFTISARC-NEO, a Phase II investigator-initiated trial in resectable soft tissue sarcoma, and data from the INSIGHT-003 Phase I investigator-initiated trial in first-line non-small cell lung cancer (1L NSCLC) has been accepted for poster presentation. Additionally, an abstract on the Company's pivotal TACTI-004 Phase III in 1L NSCLC has been accepted for a Trials in Progress ePoster. Details of the presentations are as follows: Title: EFTISARC-NEO: A phase II study of neoadjuvant eftilagimod alpha, pembrolizumab and radiotherapy in patients with resectable soft tissue sarcoma Presenter: Katarzyna Kozak, M.D., Ph.D., Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland Session Category: Proffered Paper Session Title: Sarcoma Presentation #: 2686O Date and Time: Sunday, 19 October 2025 at 16:30 – 18:00 PM CET Title: Eftilagimod alpha (soluble LAG-3 protein) combined with 1st line chemo-immunotherapy in metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) –Updates from INSIGHT-003 (IKF614) Presenter: Dr. med. Akin Atmaca, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Krankenhaus Nordwest, UCT-University Cancer Center, Frankfurt, Germany Session Category: Poster Session Title: NSCLC, metastatic Presentation #: 1857P Date and Time: Saturday, 18 October 2025 at 12:00 – 12:45 PM CET Title: TACTI-004, a double-blinded, randomised phase 3 trial of eftilagimod alfa plus pembrolizumab (P) + chemotherapy (C) vs placebo + P + C in 1st line advanced/metastatic NSCLC Presenter: Prof. Dr. med. Hans-Georg Kopp, Robert Bosch Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany Session Category: ePoster Session Title: NSCLC, metastatic Presentation #: 2086eTiP Proffered Papers at ESMO are oral presentations of original data of superior quality, followed by expert discussion and perspectives. Abstracts will be made available on the ESMO website on 13 October 2025 at 00.05 CET. The posters will be available on the Posters & Publications section of Immutep's website after their presentations. About ImmutepImmutep is a late-stage biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune disease. The Company is a pioneer in the understanding and advancement of therapeutics related to Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 (LAG-3), and its diversified product portfolio harnesses LAG-3's ability to stimulate or suppress the immune response. Immutep is dedicated to leveraging its expertise to bring innovative treatment options to patients in need and to maximise value for shareholders. For more information, please visit Australian Investors/Media:Eleanor Pearson, Sodali & Co.+61 2 9066 4071; U.S. Media:Chris Basta, VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications+1 (631) 318 4000;
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Radiopharm Theranostics Receives IND approval from US FDA to Initiate Phase I Therapeutic Clinical Study to target B7H3 with Betabart (RV-01)
Lu177-B7H3 monoclonal antibody is first in class targeted radiopharmaceutical in development against the 4lg subtype of B7-H3 On track to initiate first-in-human study of RV-01 in solid tumors in 4Q25 SYDNEY, July 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX: RAD, Nasdaq: RADX, 'Radiopharm' or the 'Company'), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative oncology radiopharmaceuticals for areas of high unmet medical need, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided clearance of the Company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Betabart (RV-01), its Lu177-B7H3 monoclonal antibody designed with strong affinity for the 4Ig isoform of B7H3 that is highly expressed in tumors and not in healthy tissues. 'FDA clearance to initiate our first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of RV-01 represents a major milestone for Radiopharm Theranostics and our joint venture with MD Anderson Cancer Center,' said Riccardo Canevari, CEO and Managing Director. 'RV-01 is the first monoclonal antibody developed through this collaboration, and we believe it has the potential to become a highly differentiated radiopharmaceutical for patients with aggressive solid tumors. We are excited to advance this program into the clinic and anticipate dosing the first patients later this year.' 'Recent reported preclinical studies demonstrated that RV-01 exhibits hepatic clearance, allowing the isotope sufficient time to effectively target tumors while potentially minimizing adverse effects such as hematological toxicities. Unlike peptides or small molecules, monoclonal antibodies are primarily cleared by the liver—an organ known for its radio-resistance. This characteristic, combined with the shortened half-life of RV-01 and the strong affinity for the target make this agent stand out and may offer a significant advantage not just over other monoclonal antibodies but also targeted radiotherapeutics with renal excretion pathway, the latter of which are often associated with higher risk of radiopharmaceutical-induced kidney toxicity,' noted Dimitris Voliotis, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Radiopharm Theranostics. 'The high affinity and selectivity of RV-01 for the 4Ig isoform of B7H3 allows the antibody to bypass the soluble 2Ig isoform in the blood, boost binding of the radiopharmaceutical to tumor targets and avoid the formation of immune complexes in circulation,' noted David Piwnica-Worms, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and scientific co-founder of Radiopharm Ventures. B7-H3 is an immune checkpoint molecule that is overexpressed across several tumor types and has emerged as a compelling target for antibody-based cancer immunotherapy. Deregulated B7-H3 expression is consistently correlated with enhanced tumor aggressiveness and poor clinical outcomes. Targeting the 4 Ig isoform of B7-H3 with a selective radioligand therapy may offer a novel strategy for treating refractory or high-risk tumors. About RV-01 RV-01 is the first radiopharmaceutical therapeutic agent developed by Radiopharm Ventures, the Joint Venture formed between Radiopharm Theranostics and MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC). RV-01 is a 177Lutetium-conjugated therapeutic that targets B7-H3, an immune checkpoint molecule that is overexpressed in several tumor types. Multiple preclinical studies with RV-01 have shown tumor shrinkage and prolonged survival in animals treated with the radiotherapeutic agent. RV-01 has received IND-clearance from the U.S. FDA and plans to initiate a first-In-human Phase 1 study in the second half of 2025. About Radiopharm Theranostics Radiopharm Theranostics is a clinical stage radiotherapeutics company developing a world-class platform of innovative radiopharmaceutical products for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in areas of high unmet medical need. Radiopharm is listed on ASX (RAD) and on NASDAQ (RADX). The company has a pipeline of distinct and highly differentiated platform technologies spanning peptides, small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for use in cancer. The clinical program includes one Phase 2 and three Phase 1 trials in a variety of solid tumor cancers including lung, breast, and brain. Learn more at Authorized on behalf of the Radiopharm Theranostics Board of Directors by Executive Chairman Paul Hopper. For more information: Investors:Riccardo CanevariCEO & Managing DirectorP: +1 862 309 0293E: rc@ Anne Marie FieldsPrecision AQ (formerly Stern IR)E: Media:Matt WrightNWR CommunicationsP: +61 451 896 420E: matt@ Follow Radiopharm Theranostics: Website – X – – –

Wall Street Journal
8 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
New Missile for Truck-Based Himars Launchers Has China in Its Sights
DARWIN, Australia—The truck-based missile launchers known as Himars have transformed the battlefield in Ukraine, helping Kyiv blunt Russia's advance due to their mobility, ability to hide and the precision rockets they can fire. Now, the decades-old High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is getting an upgrade that could be crucial in another potential conflict—one with China.