EXTREME HUNTERS: Florida’s Bottlenose Dolphins

The bottlenose dolphin is one of the most intelligent animals on earth, and individual populations of Florida bottlenose dolphins have developed a new strategy to hunt. The Florida Keys are a unique mix of mangroves and small islands, and between them are vast mudflats covered in a shallow skim of water. The richest prey is found in these shallows, and the dolphins will have to swim up channels to access these mudflats. But getting there is only part of the battle.

 Their prey is very elusive- small, fast moving fish. Catching enough for a decent meal is very difficult, and the Florida bottlenose dolphins- or at least certain pods of them- have devised a complex method of catching fish. A dolphin will use sonar and echolocation to find a shoal of fish. Once it has located the fish, it will swim rapidly towards them before swimming in a tight circle around the shoal, beating its tail down powerfully. This stirs up the shallow silt, causing a ring of mushrooming mud to encircle the fish. After a few seconds the mud begins to collapse, and to the fish this looks like danger coming in from all sides. Panicked, they begin to jump up and over the mud to escape.

But this is exactly what the dolphins wanted, and they are waiting with their heads above the water for the fish to come flying into their mouths. Again and again the lead dolphin will create a circle of mud around a different shoal of fish, and the rest of the pod will line up with perfect timing to feed.

To pull off such a technique, the dolphins must use special senses, teamwork and problem solving to be able to manipulate the environment around them to suit their needs. This incredible display of intelligence has given these dolphins an edge over other animals when it comes down to survival of the fittest.

Source: LIFE by Martha Holmes and Michael Gunton