Si sa, in natura molte specie interagiscono fra loro, specialmente quando parliamo di prede e predatori. Un recente incontro ha però sorpreso i ricercatori, quando, in due diverse località delle isole Hawaii, Kauai (The Garden Island) e Maui, gli scienziati hanno osservato una giocosa interazione fra delfini e balene. I grossi cetacei portavano sulla loro schiena i delfini, fino ad uscire dall’acqua, dopodichè i delfini si rituffavano nell’Oceano. Nell’osservare queste scene inedite, i ricercatori, non hanno mai notato segnali di aggressività o d’angoscia per gli animali coinvolti. L’attività di gioco, fra due specie diverse, è estremamente rara.
Many species interact in the wild, most often as predator and prey. But recent encounters between humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins reveal a playful side to interspecies interaction. In two different locations in Hawaii, scientists watched as dolphins “rode” the heads of whales: the whales lifted the dolphins up and out of the water, and then the dolphins slid back down. The two species seemed to cooperate in the activity, and neither displayed signs of aggression or distress. Whales and dolphins in Hawaiian waters often interact, but playful social activity such as this is extremely rare between species.
The latest Bio Bulletin from the Museum’s Science Bulletins program presents the first recorded examples of this type of behavior. Visitors to AMNH may view the video in the Hall of Biodiversity until February 9, 2012.
Science Bulletins is a production of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History.
Find out more about Science Bulletins at www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins.
