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BBC News
5 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Dolphins use sponges to help hunt fish scientists say
Some dolphins in western Australia have developed an unusual technique to help them find fish on the have spotted them biting sponges and "wearing" them on their snouts - a bit like a clown's nose!This allows the dolphins to protect their noses while stirring up sand on the rocky seabed, helping them to uncover fish hiding say this new discovery could help us better understand use of tools by animals, as well as their behaviour in the wild. What did scientists discover about the dolphins? The new research published in the Royal Society Open Science journal featured an international team of spotted that some bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, in western Australia, pick up sponges from the seafloor and use them as tools to help them hunt have called this behaviour "sponging" and say that its a bit like wearing a glove - helping dolphins protect their sensitive skin whilst digging through rough sand and sharp rocks on the ocean say that it's a difficult hunting method and they've only spotted a small number of dolphins using the Jacobs, from Denmark's Aarhus University, who was involved with the study, explained: "Sponging is a very unique foraging behaviour. It's only dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, that have been observed doing it. "It's only about 5% of the population do this technique. So it's maybe like 30 dolphins right now. So it's quite rare."Scientists think the art of sponge hunting is taught and passed down by mother dolphins to their offspring. Dolphin calves usually spend around 3 or 4 years with their mothers, observing and learning important life Jacobs added that dolphins can spend a lot of their time sponging in the said: "Once they've scared up a fish they will drop the sponge off of the front of the face and they will go after the fish, grab it, pick up their sponge again, and keep going and they'll do it for hours at a time."
National Observer
6 days ago
- Science
- National Observer
Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, a practice 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 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. Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks. 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 Independent
6 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Dolphins learn to wear sponges ‘like a clown nose' to hunt fish
Dolphins in Australia have developed a unique and ingenious hunting technique, involving the use of sponges to flush out fish from the seafloor. These bottlenose dolphins don a sponge on their beak, akin to a clone nose, allowing them to safely shovel through rocky seabed channels. This method stirs up barred sandperch, making them an easy meal. However, new research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science reveals this inherited behaviour is more challenging than it appears. The sponge, while protective, interferes with the dolphins' sophisticated echolocation system, their primary means of navigation and sensing through sound. '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 modelled 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.
Al Arabiya
7 days ago
- Science
- Al Arabiya
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 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 percent 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.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Science
- Associated Press
Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 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.
