As a child, you may remember squealing and screaming when you were excited about something. It turns out that humans aren't the only species that gets noisy when they're happy: New research shows that whales and dolphins “squeal with delight” to express glee, too.
Dolphins like to have fun. Dolphins are social and playful animals, creating lifelong friendships and living in pods with dozens of dolphins. As part of their social and playful nature, they are known to swim through self-made bubble rings and surf in the waves!
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.
Dolphins are very tactile and social. They show affection for each other by rubbing each other with their pectoral fins. When actual mating occurs, it is completed very quickly, with the two dolphins swimming belly-to-belly during intercourse.
Dolphins enjoy intimacy.
They have been known to practice foreplay and numerous positions when copulating.
It's just the shape of their face. Dolphins may look like they're happy to us, but their “smiles” are illusions. When humans smile, we signal happiness, contentment, and enjoyment to each other. But a dolphin's toothy grin is not an expression of joy – this is simply an anatomical anomaly.
Like happy kids, whales and dolphins often squeal with delight when something good comes along. Continue reading → Dolphins and whales squeal after pleasant moments, researchers noticed long ago, such as receiving a tasty fish treat. A new study supports that these happy sounds are genuine expressions of delight.
“A little bit like mind-reading.” There is strong evidence to show that they use specific whistles to identify or call each other. Recent studies by the Orca Research Trust in New Zealand have noted bottlenose dolphins and orcas carrying dead infants in what has been interpreted as a signal of grief.
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.
It so simple, you need to approach the dolphin, hold the face and look into the dolphin's eyes. Then pucker up and kiss the dolphin on the mouth or general area. It will be a kiss you won't forget and make sure you get a photo of this so you won't forget it.
Like humans, female bottlenose dolphins experience sexual pleasure through their clitoris, according to new study in Current Biology.
Truly wild dolphins will bite when they are angry, frustrated, or afraid. They are disturbed when people try to swim with them.
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.
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.
Bored and frustrated by their captivity, cetaceans persistently grind their teeth against the concrete of their tanks, or bite down on metal bars between tanks, breaking their teeth.
Dolphins in Love
Perhaps their mating behaviour does not point to what we typically perceive as “love”, but the indication of dolphin friendship and affection certainly demonstrates a capacity for the emotion to some degree. In several surprising instances, dolphins have also shown loving emotions towards humans.
While bottlenose dolphins are typically grey, the mammal is completely white– apart from the quirky tendency to turn pink when it's feeling angry, sad or even embarrassed. The phenomenon results from the animals thin skin, which means its blood vessels can cause a change in skin tone depending on their emotional state.
Studies suggest that a variety of dolphins and whale species grieve for their dead. These species can range from a small spinner dolphin to larger animals such as pilot whales and sperm whales.
Using echolocation, dolphins might be able to detect a pregnant woman's developing fetus, some experts say. Dolphins emit sounds in their environment and listen to the echoes that return — a process that helps them identify the shapes and locations of objects.
The science makes one fact undeniably clear: wild dolphins of some species are noted for seeking out social encounters with humans. The phenomenon of lone sociable dolphins – for whom human contact appears to substitute for the company of their own kind – is documented extensively in the scientific literature.
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 cannot move their facial muscles to communicate feelings like humans can. Dolphins appear to smile even while injured or seriously ill. The smile is a feature of a dolphin's anatomy unrelated to its health or emotional state.
Squirrels take our top prize for being the happiest little creatures because they appear to always have a blast between nut gathering, scampering from tree to tree, and enjoying energetic games like tag with their squirrel friends.
Dolphin Depression Syndrome
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.