Study Shows Why Dolphin Interactions Make You Smile

In a recent study, researchers found a reason why dolphin Interactions with each other and like to smile.

Dolphins are marine mammals that are known to have a very social nature. They tend to live in large groups and are known to be friendly and always seem to smile. Recently, a study revealed the argument behind this friendly nature.

According to a report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, dolphins are indeed known to like to play, make friends, and have complex ways of communicating.

Dolphin interactions have various ways of playing, such as climbing together, spinning in the water, slapping the water surface with their tail fins, acting out fights, and surfing. Although they like to play, facial expressions while playing are often observed.

This Study Was Conducted to Find Out Dolphin Habits

This study was conducted when dolphins played together, human trainers, and ourselves. The results of the study showed that dolphins often smile while playing. The smile is usually returned by the play partner, indicating that there is communication to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to clashes.

The researchers wrote that 92% of dolphins opened their mouths when playing with each other, compared to when they were interacting with humans or playing alone. The researchers suggest that this behavior is a modification of biting.

When dolphins interact, they are not necessarily ‘smiling’ when they are involved in aggressive interactions or playing casually. Although all of the dolphins studied were in captivity, the researchers believe that this ‘smiling’ behavior may occur in wild dolphins, although not as frequently as captive dolphins, as they are more focused on finding food and avoiding predators.

Despite spending some time in the ocean, dolphins are actually mammals like other land animals. Unlike fish, dolphins do not have gills, so they need to come above water to breathe. On the top of their bodies are air holes that allow them to suck in air, while also preventing their lungs from filling with water which could cause them to drown. Dolphins live in groups called pods, which consist of up to a few dozen individuals. In these groups, they swim, watch, and communicate with each other about the presence of predators in their vicinity. In addition, dolphins can form larger groups, known as superpods, which can contain up to 1,000 dolphins.

Each dolphin has a unique way of recognizing each other, which is by using the same whistle sound. This whistle sound varies from one dolphin to another. They are able to remember the “names” of several of their friends and can recognize them even if they are separated by decades. Although each dolphin has 100 teeth, they do not use them to chew food. Their teeth are used to catch prey, which is then swallowed whole.

The chewing process is not considered much, because their stomachs take care of digestion. Dolphins have two stomachs; one for digestion and another for storing food before it is processed. Dolphins enjoy taking naps, usually lasting 15 to 20 minutes, and they do this several times a day. These cheerful mammals have a uniquely ideal sleep routine.

Researchers Reveal Dolphins Smile at Each Other, This is the Purpose

Not only humans, Dolphin interactions have the same routine of smiling with each other. Dolphin smiles can be an effective way for humans to avoid misunderstandings. Interestingly, recent research reveals that bottlenose dolphins implement strategies with time related to both.

Researchers from Italy and France observed 22 dolphins at two animal parks, namely Zoomarine in Rome and Plante Sauvage in France. The results showed that dolphins almost always “smile” when in front of their friends, and the friend will respond with a “smile” back.

This suggests that this movement may act as a form of communication that can prevent their play from turning into conflict due to misunderstandings. However, Heather Hill, a dolphin communication expert and professor of psychology at St. Mary’s University, Texas, who was not involved in the study, was told not to generalize this behavior too much.

Significance of Spoken Communication

Dolphin interactions are known for their playful personalities. They have a variety of ways to have fun, such as climbing, surfing, and acting out. Although they are known to be playful animals, their facial expressions during play have not been studied before.

The study showed that 92% of the open-mouth movements occurred when dolphins were playing with each other, not when they were interacting with humans or playing alone. The “smile” movements were not seen when they were involved in aggressive interactions such as parallel swimming.

In addition, the researchers emphasized the importance of vocal communication between dolphins during play. They plan to conduct further research on how sounds and visual codes help dolphins cooperate in social play.

In the study, all of the dolphin interactions witnessed were in captivity. Hill stressed, “smile” behavior is likely to occur in the wild, although its frequency may be reduced as dolphins spend more time foraging and avoiding predators.

To see dolphin interactions, you can play and see them directly at Bali Exotic Marine Park.