Australian Dolphins Use Sponges to Hunt Fish, Complex Skill Passed Generations

In Australia, a small group of bottlenose dolphins has developed a distinctive hunting method involving the use of sponges placed on their beaks to protect themselves while foraging along rocky seabeds. This behavior, passed down from mother to offspring, helps them flush out barred sandperch from the seafloor but complicates their echolocation abilities by muffling the sound waves, similar to wearing a mask. Despite this challenge, dolphins that master the technique efficiently catch fish, though only about 5% of the Shark Bay dolphin population engages in this skill, likely due to the significant training required over several years. Researchers, including Ellen Rose Jacobs of the University of Aarhus, confirmed through underwater acoustic studies that these dolphins still use echolocation while compensating for the sponge's distortion. Experts emphasize the rarity and difficulty of this behavior, likening it to hunting while blindfolded and noting its limited transmission within the dolphin community. This unique adaptation highlights the dolphins' remarkable learning capabilities and cultural transmission of specialized hunting strategies.