Dolphins often show aggression by raking — scratching one another with their teeth, leaving superficial lacerations that soon heal. Traces of light parallel stripes remain on the dolphin's skin. These marks have been seen in virtually all dolphin species.
Dolphins are usually gentle but sometimes they get angry. When they are angry, they make a loud, clapping noise with their jaws or slap the water hard with their tails. Dolphins are often very helpful.
Truly wild dolphins will bite when they are angry, frustrated, or afraid. They are disturbed when people try to swim with them. Dolphins who have become career beggars can be pushy, aggressive, and threatening when they don't get the handout they expect.
Aggressive behaviors may include biting, teeth-raking, jaw-popping, fluke-slapping, head-butting and ramming. The outcome of aggression is dominance. Head-butting is a particularly aggressive behavior between two dolphins.
Dolphins of many species release bursts pulses when they are excited or angry, and burst pulses are thought to convey information about a dolphin's emotional state.
One physical indicator of stress is elevated cortisol levels in blood work, which is commonly seen in lab results for captive dolphins. Much like in humans, dolphins release this hormone when under stressful conditions.
Dolphins appear to have a special affection for pregnant women. They have been known to swim up to an expecting woman and make buzzing sounds near her stomach. This is thought to be because dolphins might be able to detect a pregnant woman's developing fetus by using echolocation.
The researchers found that dolphins, like primates, have personality traits related to curiosity and sociability, specifically Openness and a personality trait that is a blend of Extraversion/Agreeableness.
Despite what dolphinaria may have you believe, dolphins are apex ocean predators, capable of even killing sharks, and should be treated as such. Dolphins can be aggressive to people, other dolphins, or even self-harm. While the majority of dolphins in the US are bred in captivity, they are not domesticated animals.
Stereotypy observed in captive dolphins includes beaching themselves on performance platforms, pacing the pool in loops, thrashing violently, remaining motionless and chewing on parts of the enclosure to the extent that they break their teeth.
–Dolphin sex can be violent and coercive. Gangs of two or three male bottlenose dolphins isolate a single female from the pod and forcibly mate with her, sometimes for weeks at a time. To keep her in line, they make aggressive noises, threatening movements, and even smack her around with their tails.
One reason is that they may feel threatened or agitated by human presence. Dolphins are wild animals and may see humans as a potential threat to their territory or prey. In some cases, dolphins may also attack humans as a form of play or amusement, which can be dangerous due to their size and strength.
If the slaps are soft and gentle, the dolphin may be alerting other dolphins or trying to gain their attention. A single explosive slap – or a succession of much firmer slaps is a definite warning sign. Sometimes we also see it as a form of play!
During fights, for example, dolphins clap their jaws to say "back off!" But they jaw clap while playing, too, as if to show who's king of the underwater playground.
Dolphins express annoyance at a disturbance through a “chuff” — a forceful exhale, often repeated several times in succession.
“Dolphins are very tactile animals, and males and females will pet and rub their close associates frequently using their pectoral fins and other body parts as a way to bond and/or show affection,” Gibson says.
There is plenty of evidence suggesting that dolphins show symptoms of being depressed in captivity. Dolphins can engage in stereotypic behaviors, ranging from repetitive motions or unnatural behaviors that are only seen in captive individuals.
Although dolphins may seem curious, many of their behaviors are often misinterpreted as “friendly” when they actually are, in fact, signs of disturbance or aggression. If a dolphin approaches you in the water, do not engage, pursue, or otherwise interact with the dolphin, and take immediate steps to move away.
Sharks prefer to avoid dolphins. Dolphins are mammals that live in pods and are very clever. They know how to protect themselves. When they see an aggressive shark, they immediately attack it with the whole pod.
Biggest weakness: Pass coverage
Specifically of note, the Dolphins rank 23rd in pass defense DVOA against tight ends and 28th against running backs.
There are dozens of photos and YouTube videos of grieflike behavior in dolphins: Some mothers have been seen carrying their dead infants in their mouths or on their backs for a week or longer, even as the body decomposes; a couple adult males have also been seen holding dead calves in their mouths.
The discovery of spindle cells in the brains of some whale and dolphin species provides good supporting evidence that these species may be capable of experiencing complex emotions such as empathy and indeed that this emotion may provide an important evolutionary advantage for these highly social species.
“The clitoris of dolphins has well-developed erectile spaces, is highly sensitive to tactile stimulation, and is likely functional,” the study notes. The animals do experience pleasure when having sex, due to their “large” clitorises.
Humans and dolphins do have some romantic history
In fact, seven per cent of zoophiles (humans sexually attracted to animals) named dolphins as their preferred choice of mate. Some studies have also found evidence male dolphins are sexually attracted to women as they give off similar pheromones to female dolphins.
It is sensationalized information that the animals become aggressive towards pregnant individuals - it is simply untrue. Dolphins' echolocation gives them the ability to detect if a woman is pregnant in the water, and the ability to see the baby and heartbeat.