Although a genetic explanation of the pattern of sponge use at Shark Bay seems plausible, examination of several possible modes of genetic inheritance make it unlikely that a genetic propensity is responsible for the observed distribution of the behavior. While foraging in deep-water channels, some adult female dolphins carry marine sponges thus protecting their noses while probing the sea floor to locate small, bottom-dwelling fish.Īt Shark Bay in Western Australia, the only study site where sponge carrying has been observed, the behavior occurs almost exclusively within a single maternal line, with most daughters (and a few sons) of sponge-carrying females adopting the habit. ![]() In the wild, young dolphins and their mothers forage together for several years giving the young ample opportunity to learn complex foraging behaviors from their mothers. ![]() White, in Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (Second Edition), 2019 Bottlenose Dolphins Using Tools to Forageīottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops sp.) like rats and red squirrels can learn socially to exploit a new feeding niche, though the way in which they do so is quite different from that seen in rodents.
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