From Indigenous stories and starring in movies, to singing popular songs and vital roles in scientific research, whales and dolphins are pretty popular animals. Their gravity-defying antics, beautiful songs, and just how relatable they can be to humans have us hooked. Despite everything we know, understanding how the cetaceans relate to each other in the ocean is puzzling to scientists. It’s unclear if they actually “play” together or if it is a one-sided relationship.
“When you’re out on the water, you often see whales and dolphins interacting and as a scientist, you can’t help but wonder why,” Olivia Crawley, a graduate student at Griffith University in Australia said in a statement.Â
To learn more, Crawley and marine biologist Olaf Meynecke analyzed hundreds of videos and photographs to watch how baleen whales and dolphins interact. They found that their playtime is primarily a mutual activity. The findings are published August 12 in the journal Discover Animals.
“We were in particular interested to document the whales’ reactions and responses toward the dolphins’ as commonly dolphins are described to harass and annoy the whales,” Meynecke added.
In total, the team documented 425 baleen whales from six different species. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) dominated at 68 percent of the observations, followed by gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Roughly 1,570 dolphins were observed. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops) were documented the most at 51 percent, followed by the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens).
The age and the relative position of the observed dolphins in relation to the whale’s main body were noted along with important data like species and location. The three main parts of a whale are its rostrum or the “beak” at its front, the flank or side where its pectoral or side fins are located, and its fluke (or tail) at the back.
Two videos taken with suction camera tags on humpback whales showed bottlenose dolphins following the whales. The dolphins followed along on the surface, but also towards the ocean floor. Once at the bottom, they continued to engage in close approaches with the whales– including possible touching and social play.
A suction camera tag deployed by Olaf Meynecke captures the depths dolphins will sometimes accompany whales to – in this case, even to the sea floor. CREDIT: Olaf Meynecke
“While social play is cooperative and reciprocal, there is also one-sided play or interaction, with only one participant perceiving the interaction as playful, as seen in cases of teasing or harassment by dolphins during feeding events,” said Meynecke. “Behavioural studies of marine mammals such as these provide insight into their complex social structures, play a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of marine ecosystems and the interactions among marine species.”
They found that 25 percent of these interactions can be defined as a mutual interaction. For humpback whales, one-third of the observed events with dolphins appeared to be positive.Â
“The humpback whales were rolling from side to side, undertaking belly presentation and other behaviours that are associated with courtship or friendly socialising,” Meynecke added.
[ Related: Wild orcas will sometimes offer food to humans. ]
Additionally, the whale species responded differently to the dolphin behavior. Humpbacks moved their pectoral fin toward the dolphins 172 times. Grey whales were often rolling and southern right whales displayed pectoral slaps, where they hit the water with their side fins.Â
Most of the observed interactions also didn’t show any avoidance behaviors. Some of the physical percussive behaviours that could indicate an aggressive response towards dolphins including tail slaps (18 times) or head slaps (none) were least observed for humpback whales. The humpbacks also strategically moved slowly towards the dolphins with their rostrum.Â
“Having the opportunity to document these observations and observe some of the behavioural patterns like bow riding by dolphins and close touches was intriguing,” said Crawley. “I hope that this study can serve as a foundation for future studies.”
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