Posted on 01/26/2008 11:58:30 AM PST by DogByte6RER
Killer dolphins baffle marine experts
By Nigel Blundell
Last Updated: 12:01pm GMT 25/01/2008
It's hard to visualise but the intelligent and ever-friendly dolphin can also be a determined killer.
New evidence has been compiled by marine scientists that prove the normally placid dolphin is capable of brutal attacks both on innocent fellow marine mammals and, more disturbingly, on its own kind.
Film taken of gangs of dolphins repeatedly ramming baby porpoises, tossing them in the air and pursuing them to the death has solved a long-term mystery of what causes the death of so many of these harmless mammals - but has left animal experts baffled as to the motive.
Another mystery is that the animal 'murders' have only been reported in two parts of the world - along Scotland's East Coast and in America off the beaches of Virginia, where even more alarmingly, the victims were scores of the dolphins' own young.
The first clues to solving the riddle came in 1997 when, by coincidence, marine biologists in Virginia were finding young, dead dolphins with horrific internal injuries at the same time as young porpoises were washing up on Scotland's north-east coast with identical causes of death. The body count was growing in both locations.
The two groups of biologists pooled information and, at first, it was believed the mammals had died through 'blast trauma'. In American cases, this was supposedly from exercises by the US Navy, and in Scotland from air guns used by oil rig technicians to detect undersea caverns.
This theory was dismissed after further examination of the mammals' bodies revealed the injuries - broken ribs, imploding lungs, damaged livers and massive internal bleeding - could only have come from prolonged, focused attacks.
When tell-tale teeth-marks were identified, the dolphin - the mammal classified as one of the world's most intelligent, sensitive and sociable creatures - became the official suspect.
Confirmation of the murders came by way of two shocking films shot by holidaymakers.
The first was initially believed to show a dolphin fishing for salmon - until closer examination revealed a relentless attack on a porpoise, its body spinning round with such force that its back was broken and its soft tissue shattered.
Marine experts now believe that these displays of attacks on non-rival, non-predatory, peace-loving porpoises and, more shockingly, of dolphin infanticide, may have always taken place.
It is only now, with dolphins' more human-friendly behaviour taking them closer to tourist boats and beaches, that the violence is being witnessed first hand. Until the shocking realisation, dolphin-watchers in America had believed they were watching the mammals at play with their young.
Four years ago, members of Scots charity the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit discovered a lifeless porpoise near the harbour at Whitehills, near Banff.
The team described the mammals' injuries as "perhaps the worst example of inter-specific aggression any of us had ever seen. This young female had literally had the life beaten out of her."
Inspection showed multiple lacerations and puncture wounds all over the body which could not have been caused by any other attacker than a bottle-nosed dolphin.
Two of these fatal attacks by dolphins feature in the documentary The Dolphin Murders, being shown in the channel Five series Nature Shock on Tuesday, January 29.
Watching the films, Aberdeen marina biologist Dr Ben Wilson explains yet another shocking phenomenon - that the dolphins use their incredible ultra sound abilties to home in on the vital organs of their victims that will cause most damage.
"The blows are carefully targeted," says Dr Wilson, who is a member of the Scottish Association for Marine Science. "And the attacks are sustained, sometimes up to 30 minutes.
"The film was a key piece of evidence. It crystalised our suspicions. We realised the dolphins' victim was trying to escape from being attacked with such force that any one single blow could kill it.
"It was, Oh my God!, the animals I've been studying for the last 10 years are killing these porpoises."
Theories abound on the reason behind the mammal murders. These have included territorial clashes and feuds over food resources. But food is not in short supply and the victims are not just chased away but pursued to the death.
Another belief is that dolphin attacks on their young may be down to mating instincts, because when her calf dies the female dolphin is ready for mating again. But the experts are still not positive that it is only males who do the attacking.
And, incredibly, they can only guess that the attacks by bottle-nosed dolphins on Scotland's harbour porpoises is some kind of bizarre 'target practice.'
For the one common link between the attacks here and America is that the victims are of a similar size and weight.
Perhaps the dolphins' instincts has them practising the same skills required to separate a porpoise from its school, pursue it and kill it as are needed for attacks on its own kind.
Nearly half of the harbour porpoises' bodies examined have died as a result of the dolphin attacks.
Perhaps some answers will be found as Dr Wilson - who has written several research papers on dolphins - and his team continue their Bottlenose Dolphin Project throughout the Scottish waters this winter. The field work is expected to end in the summer.
But as the experts of the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit are forced to declare: "These killings represent yet another example of the hard brutality and evolutionary pressures of the marine world."
LOL!!! That was one strange movie.
That explains a lot. LOL!!!
LOL!!! GO HALLIBURTON GO!!! LOL!!!
Dear Nigel,
I was going to say I was shocked by your repeated use of the word “murder,” but I’m really not, since you’re an idiot. I mean, as a writer for the Telegraph, I didn’t expect much to begin with, but I was still somewhat amazed by your stupidity.
First off, the vast majority of these attacks were against another species, so it was probably territorial, but who knows for sure, SINCE THEY’RE WILD ANIMALS! The only thing that you can know for sure about a wild animal is that it will act like a wild animal, no matter how much you try to anthropomorphise it.
And on that note, getting back to your repeated use of the word “murder.” Murder is a legal term. Until you can find me bona fide proof of a “Dolphin Legal System” please limit your use of the word. Again, these are wild animals. They may be bright, friendly (for the most part) and look like they’re smiling (because that’s the way their mouth is shaped), but that doesn’t give them the ability to develop the concept of laws and “murder.” But then again, being human (allegedly, in your case) doesn’t seem to have given you the ability either.
Mark
If only the leftist war protesters would follow the fine example of our fine mammalian friends!
Mark
And there it is in a nutshell in that link you posted. We should send it to the marine experts...
It's hard to visualise but the intelligent and ever-friendly dolphin can also be a determined killer.
Why is it so hard? They are large, intelligent predatory hunters - not meek little vegetarians! Maybe these “experts” watched too many episodes of “Flipper”?
They need Midnight basketball!
Islamic dolphins?
Oh, so the orca (killer whale) is actually a dolphin. I am fascinated by cetaceans, and other marine mammals, and love to learn about them.
Still, as Big Look says, there is much about them that remains mystery.
You know, here we have living right next door to Humanity a group of intelligent beings that have a language and a society for us to investigate and experience, and we treat them like dogs and cats and teach them tricks. We also have many groups of scientists and supporters spending time and treasure planning and looking in the heavens for "the first signs of 'intelligent' life".
Who's playing with who?
When it comes to wild animals, I simply enjoy and respect them. I am always thrilled to spot a pod of dolphins from the shore. However, I would not be so dim-bulbed as to “swim with the dolphins.” Nor do I want to see them swimming in a tank and doing “tricks.”
Speaking of wildlife, a hummingird is nesting in a tree branch outside my window for the second time this season. I think she laid her eggs yesterday.
I interviewed several sources for an article I once wrote re dolphins and sea lions, found that amazingly little research was being done re the Pacific bottlenose dolphin.
Precisely my point; we are all limited by our own experiences and environment. That equates to Human-only interaction and a land-based society. I doubt that Early Man had much more than those same signaling type communications that eventually developed into the plethora of languages and meanings we have today.
True; but how long have we really spent in that study, and how is it done? While Man can go into the water, he can't live there without vast external support, nor can he stay in the water for extended (~24 Hours plus) stays without severe physical degradation.
Much the same as taking an Aborigine and dropping him into Queens, or one from NYC into the Amazon. I suspect the Aborigine would survive better and longer. :^)
The basic gist of the story is that we look at the rest of the animal kingdom from our own views, and the seeming revulsion at dolphins killing others and other species, when in fact those are Human values that have little relationship to survival in their environments. I recall that Jane Goodall made a big deal out of the killing of one of 'her' monkeys by others in the tribe -- again casting human values on them. I don't believe that we will ever be able to have any viable communication with other earthly species, because there is no evidence of any reasoning ability for future activities; yet we still have folks trying to set "The Dolphin Murders" documentary as viable scientific proof that those dolphins must have it.
The ones that beach themselves just can’t take the violence anymore and do it as a protest.”
Peacenik Dolphins? Liberal Dolphins?
It’s been fun, reading this thread and seeing conservatives’ sarcastic reaction to liberal bemusement on dolphin misbehavior. Dolphins engage in cruelty and violence, liberals analyze and conservatives joke.
” Along Scotland’s East Coast and in America off the beaches of Virginia...”
I think someone should contact PETA and ask them to set up anger-management and self-esteem classes for these killer dolphins.
Thanks george.
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