TheBiologySpace.BioBlog

The basic concept of dolphins “handling” their prey comes across as somewhat ironic, seeing as how they are not primates. Dolphins have always been known as animals of high cognitive capabilities, and their particular engagement in preparing their food before they eat it only contributes to their recognized intelligence.

The fact that these specific behavioral engagements only pertain to one of their food sources [the cuttlefish] raises awareness and questions about the possibilities of other food-specific preying behaviors. Further research and analysis of this kind of behavior in dolphins will undoubtedly begin to unfold, resulting in constant investigations.

The reasons behind this particular food handling relate back to their high levels of intelligence, taking into consideration the difficulties in consuming certain foods and the overall effect on them. The knowledge dolphins have about what they recognize as a food source is what moves them to engage in these specific behavioral tactics.

Dolphins are not only known for their intelligence, but are also recognized as docile creatures due to a certain gentle aspect about them. However, gentle may not be the best description of their preying tactics, which include prey restraint, pinned thrust kill, and snout-beating of the corpse. These tactics are only part of a six stage behavioral sequence further depicted in the article about the food preparation of dolphins.

Dolphins usually depict submissive animals capable of being trained at water parks to do tricks, entertaining an audience. Never would I have metaphorically imagined them as capable sea chefs. However, after reading the article pertaining to their deep-sea meal preparations, and being impressed with their behavioral flexibility for non-primates, I can now identify them as chefs, with such capabilities of adaptation and constant learning.

So, did anyone else draw the parallels between dolphin and human males and females? Leave it to men to eat something that is infinitely harder to consume, something with a ridiculous bone, as well as a nice big Tums to inhibit their gastric juices. I wonder if it’s because they don’t care enough to take the time to get rid of the ink and bone (a la human men), or something else? Perhaps male dolphins have a stronger stomach for the heavier food?

Perhaps this is the only recognizable species of food that needs to be “prepared” for the dolphins, or maybe it’s just that this is the only species of food that they have identified as needing to be “prepared”. Since we can’t really know what dolphins are thinking, we have no sure way to tell. But they are one of the smartest species on the planet, it makes sense that they would make this sort of advanced development. I’m not going to read too much into this, although it is rather fascinating and I’m sure it raises many questions in the scientific community, but it has always been my belief that dolphins are extremely advanced in their behavior. This particular behavior merely proves something we already know- dolphins are smart. They are learning creatures, constantly in development.

Obviously, the reason that the males do not engage in this behavior is because females are smarter and there is a feminist movement going on. They have the knowledge and are refusing to share it with the males until they give in to the females’ demands for supremacy.

Or perhaps males have less difficulty digesting those parts of the cuttlefish and choose not to spend the time preparing it.
You know, either one.

I guess the simplest reason why dolphins might not remove the other nasty bits from their prey is because cuttlefish have internal sacs that are easier to secure than a bone or other internal organs. I think it is amazing that the dolphin can remove the cuttlebone, which is relatively large

I read that the dolphins are able to pin the cuttlefish with its nose and instantly kills the mollusk by slamming their snouts and breaking the shell of the cuttlefish. Obviously, this act only occurs in areas where these mollusks are prevalent and probably requires a strong snout able to suddenly kill prey. This trait allowed for this activity.

This article is extremely interesting to read and to imagine that dolphins do the same things as humans and some primates is really cool. I would like to know if the dolphins were taught this by a parent or if they observed this from another dolphin. It could have been possible that the dolphin learned this technique itself through past experiences and if this were true that would be incredible.

One can’t say for sure, but the dolphin must have learned from experience and trial and error with this particular species to detach these certain parts of the cuttlefish. Maybe doing the same to other prey is too difficult or the dolphin just hasn’t figured it out yet. Such a specific behavior possibly evolved in this particular species, but not in other related species because of the ecosystem they live in or certain parts of their brains could be a little different.

I have always been amazed at how intelligent animals can be, especially the dolphin. Coming in third place as the smartest animal just behind elephants and primates, the dolphin still amazes researchers today. I’m sure it all has to deal with their brain size. While a human’s brain is 2.1% of body weight, a dolphins is 0.9% of their body weight which is large for most animals.

This is quite intriguing. After reading the anatomy of the cuttlefish, it has led me to believe that maybe the reason the dolphin devours this poor little fish is because it may assume the cuttlefish is a floating piece of vegetation (since the cuttlefish can mimic vegetation and rocks). So when the dolphin approaches the “vegetation,” it eats it up, then realizes it is not floating vegetation and must use its secret iron chef abilities. Other than that, I am utterly perplexed.

Dolphins preparing their own food…Scientists discover new things every day about our planet. While this may seem insignificant, this may have been an adaptation passed down by many generations of dolphins to obtain food. While scientists have only recently discovered this along with many other amazing discoveries about the dolphin, I’m sure there is more to come when studying dolphins and their behavior.

This is very interesting because the cuttlefish has an adaptation to secrete juice to make digestion difficult, thereby warding off potential predators. But then the dolphins come back and remove the ink sac that secretes the juce, thereby rendering the cuttlefish an excellent delicacy for the dolphin to eat. Adaptation and evolution is happening even in our time, and we hardly even notice it. I wonder what the cuttlefish will do next to ward off dolphins. They might develop another ink sac, hidden from the dolphin, or even develop some sort of protection for the ink sac that the dolphin will be unable to penetrate.

I think this is cool. The dolphin is once again showing how it is more intelligent than other species. The fact that it does this is amazing. The fact that it knows how to do this and why to do it is even more astounding. Dophins are amaing creatures, but it would be interesting how dophins learn this behavoir whether from other dolphins or just instinctively.

All eyes on the dolphin in the center of the ring just like a circus… if you listen closely to the song, towards the end in the chorus you can hear a dolphin in the background. Anyways, I think the reason behind the dolphin removing the ink sac might have been through pure trial and error. This particular dolphin has probably eaten other mollusks before and has realized she has a difficult time digesting when eating the ink sac. So, being the smart animal she is, little miss dolphin (or shaqweesha as i call her) discovered the location of this sac and developed a method of removing it before consumption. Now for the other question about how this behavior has evolved, I have absolutely no idea. Maybe dolphins have adopted a habit of witnessing each other during lunch time systematically break down cuttlefish into edible pieces. Now why do these dolphins do this to only cuttlefish? Maybe they taste better guys. Thank you and good night.

I am amazed by what the dolphins can do. They kind of prepare their food like humans. I have a question like Brandon’s: do they learn it from observing other dolphins or are they born with the knowledge?

This is very interesting, and I have noted that many people have been saying “I wish we knew what they were thinking.” Well, humans haven’t figured out the whole telepathy thing yet, but it says in the article that dolphins communicate elaborately. Perhaps we could learn to speak dolphin (or at least recreate it with a computer) and then we could ask them ourselves.

This behavior is not very surprising to me. Dolphins have always been known to be very intelligent animals, with a phenomenol ability to adapt to its environment and has created adaptations for itself that are even beyond human capabilities. This behavior is so simple, but yet we think that it is so difficult. I think we are underestimating the creatures around us and that they are evolving while we are just standing still.

It might be a monkey-see monkey-do action.Dolphins are smart- maybe one witnessed a human do it near the bay {unlikely, yes} or more likely, accidently tore the spine out of the fish and was pleased with the results.
There may be a stronger bond between mother and daughter, which would explain why the females know it, while the males don’t. The mother dolphin will teach her daughter, but not her son.
Perhaps, ofcourse.

So, does the dolphin like remove, the quill?
That seems like something that would make since, because it could like choke on the quill, so yeah. That would be completely nessasary.

I am not entirely familiar with the internal organs of the other prey that the dolphin would be consuming. Is it possible that the cuttlefish is the only available prey that contains the bone and ink sac that is being removed? If so, this explains why the dolphin only engages in this behavior when eating this particular speices of food.

It is important to note that this behavior has been observed in one female dolphin. Does this mean that all female dolphins can perform such a feat? Not necessarily. If an alien from a far away planet happened to observe a human devouring a massive turkey leg, would the alien think that all humans were extremely primitive and ignorant? This would be a hasty generalization. In the same way, we cannot judge all female dolphins by this one individual.

I think maybe this has come out of the dolphins having digestive problems while eating these mollusks. Also their intelligence could play a key role in this and they understand what could happen if they don’t prepare their food this way. I think it is amazing that they can do this and that they understand what they are doing. Dolphins have always amazed me especially with their intelligence.

First off, Nadeem! i really have never EVER EVER liked britney spears songs, but i played that song a good 10 times just to hear it. It’s there!
Second yummy, ink sacs, what could be more gourmet than that! I wonder if females sell their skills as cooks to the males. maybe its a whole underwater society!
Honestly maybe this would be the equivelent to the wheel or fire, maybe it could spark another great evolution. Some day genetics has to bring another intelligent creature to earth. There are no outside factors keeping the dolphins from growing to a civilized world. BETTER pull out you ‘Dolphins for Dummies’ everyone!

I have heard about this. At camp we always fed the bottle nosed dolphins and the pacific white sided dolphins, already “prepared” fish and/ or squid, but what surprises me the most is how close squid and cuttlefish really are, but the dolphins still only produce the behavior on the latter. It would also be interesting to know what type of dolphin they were observing and if it transfers to other dolphins or even other cetaceans (if they have not already conducted experiments with the more extensive relatives as closely as they have with the singular female).

That is remarkable. One would suppose that animals, well, would just eat like animals. It is fascinating that they actually want their food to look and taste a certain way. It relates animals to humans and makes us closer then we might actually imagine.

Well I wouldn’t pass up the chance to talk about sea chefs either Mrs. Ferg! Great topic, I think I like it because I am in culinary and the fact that it is interesting. It reminds me of the Disney Dolphin movies, Flipper I think it was. Anyways, Camden I am not an expert, but I think this is a knowledge that is learned or taught. I don’t think that the animals could be born with that advanced preprogramming. It is amazing that dolphins can do this. Common people need to give them more credit. They do more than just clap.

This is very interesting.

I wonder how the dolphin learned to prepare the cuttlefish? Did another dolphin invent the technique and then pass it on, or did this particular dolphin come up with the method?
And since dolphins are so big on communication, maybe this will become a common method of cuttlefish preparation among the dolphin population.

This is interesting to me, that the dolphins actually go through this sort of thought process. It seems logical that the dolphin would uliminate this sort of food source and eat alternative fish, but instead, they alter their food to fit their personal needs. This is impressive.

Wow! I am very impressed by these master sushi chefs. Not only are they able to put on intense shows for people, but they can prepare a perfect meal! The fact that the dolphins are able to first of all catch an already intelligent invertebrate that seems impossible to due to their unbelievable camouflage skills and then make it into a meal without any digits to help them definitely signifies their extreme intelligence. Though, I do find it ironic that it seems to be the female dolphins taking on the traditional role of women.

I think that this is amazing and bizarre at the same time. We know that animals learn new things over time. but who ever thought that dolphins could be able to do this. I know dolphins are supposed to be smarter than average animals, but seriously this is crazy stuff!

This is pretty interesting, dolphins being able to remove certain parts with just their mouths because they know that it would harm their system. Maybe males are too “manly” and just take the pain and not taking out the parts that would harm their digestive system.. maybe their too lazy? Because in human society, sometimes women are more careful of their body, and maybe these female dolphins are doing the same.

this is like the awesomest thing i’ve heard all weekend. how do they take out the cuttlebone and the inksac though? its really interesting how animals can figure out how to better themselves.

i think its interesting how someone brought up the point that only one dolphin exhibits this behavior. Id like to see if scientists found out that other dolphins, including males, did this behavior then it could be shown as an adaptation instead of just one really smart dolphin.

It is so weird that only the females would do this to one kind of fish and not all of their prey. The answer could possibly be found out by more research on the female dolphins’ innards. The females may have some sort of special aversion to the cuttlefish’ ink sacs and their bones, and the answer to that could only be found out by studying the difference between the male and female dolphins.

This is really cool, the idea that a species can adapt to make it easier on itself to digest it’s food. The species has a learned aversion to certain parts of the cuttlefish and has figured out a way to remove this, just like cleaning the poop out of a fish and removing the skin is easier on humans to digest.

This dolphins may only engage in this behavior with one species due to the fact that they have not been able to adapt to the other species’ specific inconveniences due to a less prolonged exposure to them.

This is absolutely amazing! I have always thought of dolphins as one of the smartest animals and this story has just reinforced my notion. What is more fascinating is that only females seem to be engaged in this behavior! I would be so interested in the research of how the dolphins attained this behavior. I don’t think this could be a behavior that these creatures are born with but it might be just a learnt behavior. The research on dolphin behavior might just lead an understanding of how truly brilliant these animals are.

Well obviously the reason only females do is cause they’re way more choosy than males… in any species. JK. But one reason behind why they only prepare one particular species of food is that the others are easily digested compared to this one and do not require any preparation.

i agree with depaula, it is very interesting to hear this because the cuddle fish did evolve with the ink sac to help ward off predators, but the dolphins evolved even further, intellectually it would seem, to remove the ink sac from the cuddlefish altogether… amazing

this might be the result of pure intellectual evolution or mere trial and error. this particular dolphin might have, in the past, had trouble digesting the cuttlefish when it has the ink sac still intact, then, found a way of removing the ink sac in various different ways until she finally found an efficient way of removing the ink sac.. either way, its brilliant!