This 'gorgoning' releases antibacterial compounds and other substances that dolphins could be using to self-medicate
Like humans, dolphins sometimes suffer from irritated skin. But instead of lathering on soothing lotion, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the northern Red Sea head for the nearest coral reef. As if they were patrons at a popular spa, the dolphins line up to rub themselves against corals and sponges.
The unusual behavior is more complex than it initially appears, says study co-author Angela Ziltener, a marine biologist at the University of Zurich, who has monitored roughly 360 bottlenose dolphins in the Red Sea since 2009. “When I was diving in the Red Sea, I observed the dolphins doing this really unique behavior with [certain] corals, and I kept wondering, ‘What’s going on?’” she says.
To examine this relationship, Ziltener and her colleagues zeroed in on one aspect of the interaction that seemed to impact both creatures: mucus. As the dolphins grind against the corals and sponges, the friction causes the disturbed coral polyps to ooze fluid that sometimes stains the dolphins’ skin bright yellow or green.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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