Dolphins Use Sponges To Protect Snouts While Foraging

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON — "A group of dolphins living off the coast of Australia apparently teaches offspring to protect their snouts with sponges while foraging for food on the sea floor. Researchers say it appears to be a cultural behavior passed on from mother to daughter, a first for animals of this type, although such learning has been seen in other species.

The dolphins, living in Shark Bay, Western Australia, use conically shaped whole sponges that they tear off the bottom, said Michael Kruetzen, lead author of a report on the dolphins in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"Cultural evolution, including tool use, is not only found in humans and our closest relatives, the primates, but also in animals that are evolutionally quite distant from us. This convergent evolution is what is so fascinating," Kruetzen said.

Researchers suspect the sponges help the foraging dolphins avoid getting stung by stonefish and other critters that hide in the sandy sea bottom, just as a gardener might wear gloves to protect the hands."

EDIT

Yes, we humans are just so incredibly amazing and super-duper special, because WE are intelligent enough to use tools. :eyes:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002319764_dolphins07.html

[Dogmudgeon]

1. One word:

"Spongeworthy."

--p!
Thanks, Jerry!

[expatriot]

2. Who was it that claimed humans were "tool-using animals?'

It was a very widely held belief among the enlightened philosophers of I think continental Europe in the late 18th and early 19th century. I think it may just be a pervasive belief that is still around today... but there was a certain school of philosophy which made this belief popular.

[havocmom]

6. Still hear the 'pnly humans use tools' myth from many

I always picture an otter with rock anvil and hammer cracking shells...

There are way too many humans who have absolutely NO skill at observation.

As far as the human/tool myth... I would like people who believe that crap to meet my ex-husband. Tool use eluded him completely.

[expatriot]

8. No, we're not special... we just "won."

Evidence is getting stronger that we sapiens successfully committed complete genocide against our neanderthal cousins, pushing them into extinction and/or a few cases of genetic assimulation. Similar events probably took place with countless other evolutionary branches and groups.

[havocmom]

10. "took place" ?

Still seems to be going on. We may not be the smartest critter around, bt we are the most consistantly violent.

[expatriot]

12. most consistently violent?

I am an animals rights activist and vegan but still we must be fair and admit that nature is "red in tooth and claw" to quote Tennyson. The maternal instincts of some species is to eat a majority of her young, cats are sadistic in their "playful" torture of their prey. (Coincidental reference: The name of my cat in the avatar is Tennyson). No, we are not anymore consistently violent as a species than any other omnivore (yes, I am a vegan but admit that our physiology is one of an omnivore... our straight-forward eye set, our canines, our huge cranial size (needed a LOT of protein to develop and let me tell you they didn't have all the hybrid soy we have now). But of course we are not carnivores, we have those molars of an herbivore, no innately offensive weaponry (claws, huge fangs, etc.) which brings me to my second point which goes full circle into the tool making thing.... while we are not hte only tool-using creature it is fair to say we have mastered the enterprise which greatly increases our abilities to wreak this violence and abuse our power over other clans of humans and other species.

[havocmom]

17. I'll stand by my remarks. Other animals are violent, yes, but only man

manages to take it global and massive

[liberal N proud]

9. I once watched a bear in Yellowstone rip meat from a carcass

then dip it in the hot spring.
Looked like he was cooking it before he ate.
Not a tool but falls in that same cognitive skills area.

[Southsideirish]

13. I saw my Maltese pull over a box so he could stand up higher to try to

get something off a table. He's brilliant, I guess that's why their breed is 5,000 years old.

[expatriot]

15. I have two cats... one can open nearly every door in the house... to the

point where she is getting VERY close to learning how to open the front door(with a knob and everything) she just studies everthing and learns everything... very, very smart... almost eeriely .... my other cat (in my avatar)... poor thing... doesn't even know how to "push" a door open when it is cracked open and he obviously wants to get to the other side.

[Double T]

3. All animals have far more intelligence and emotions than..

many humans give them credit for.

[expatriot]

5. Watch out, the "I'm in denial because if I accepted this I would have to

change my precious lifestyle" crowd may flame you for this.

[Double T]

7. Just something for all of us to think about - before we take our next bite

[jilln]

4. Thanks for posting that.

This kind of article always fascinates me.

[hunter]

11. Guns and bombs are tools.

Dolphin: "Here, grab one of these when you dig in the sand so you don't scrape your nose or get spiked by a poisonous fish."

Otter: "Here's how you crack open shellfish with a rock."

Chimpanzee: "Here's how you catch termites with a stick."

Raven: "Here's how you get food out of a crevice."

Human: "Bang-bang. You're dead."

[expatriot]

14. It started out like this:

Human: "I really want his share of the mammoth meat. Hmmmm.... If he wasn't alive, he wouldn't NEED his mammoth meat. What if I picked up this rock and "dropped" it on his head?"

[hunter]

16. I thought it started out like this:

a 2001 gallery