Posted on 11/06/2009 2:08:17 PM PST by CounterCounterCulture
For the past five years, the growing number of dead harbor porpoises washing up on California shores has been a marine mystery — until now.
In September, marine biologists with Okeanis, a nonprofit conservation group based in Moss Landing, captured the only video footage taken in Monterey Bay of bottlenose dolphins attacking and killing a porpoise.
Scientists suspected dolphins, which have a relatively docile reputation, have been attacking the smaller porpoises because the porpoises have been washing up on the shore with rake marks and internal bleeding, but they never had any proof.
"Now we know the how, but we still are unsure of the why," said Daniela Maldini, president of the Okeanis board. "We have been observing the social structure of these animals and it has taken us 20 years to do that. This type of behavior is something new." Maldini has been monitoring the same group of about 600 dolphins since 1990. Maldini said Okeanis believes in collecting a variety of data before problems arise to better diagnose critical changes in the environment. But what they captured raises more questions than supplies answers.
The video shows a group of male dolphins using several techniques to assault a porpoise as it tries to get away. The dolphins corral the porpoise, ram it with their beaks, scrape or rake it with their teeth and drown the porpoise by jumping on top of it. The dolphins then bring the carcass up to the Okeanis researchers, watch them bring it on board and then swim away.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Drugs, welfare, fatherlessness, moral decay, secularism, liberal dolphin mass media and lack of federal spending on dolphin inner cities.
Tell that to the sharks.
This never would have happened if they hadn’t banned tuna nets.
This message brought to you by Weemsco Tuna. (”The Tuna Doesn’t Taste as Good as It Used To.”)
Read the whole article. Seals and sea lions are their principal competitors and the dolphins are not attacking them.
This research has been continuous for nearly twenty years with the same boat going out to see the same schools of dolphins. My guess is that these people have relationships with the dolphins; i.e., they probably know each other and are on friendly terms, recognizing individuals, possibly tossing an occasional fish, etc from their rather impressive (to a dolphin) watercraft.
Wouldn't it be ironic if this were some sort of induced reciprocal offering on the dolphins' part, that they were bringing food to the researchers? If the behavior is unprecedented and unique, and so is the research...
Crap!
My taxes are going up again to save another GD fish!
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