Dolphin behaviour hints at culture
Updated on 06 December 2007
Male Amazon River dolphins carry bunches of weed in the same way some men sport a floral buttonhole, scientists have discovered.
The strange behaviour appears to be a sexual display and may be a rare example of human-like culture among animals.
Object-carrying has previously been observed in river dolphins in Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia.
But whereas researchers previously thought it was just a playful habit, new evidence suggests a different explanation with far-reaching implications.
If the purpose of weed-carrying is to impress the ladies, as scientists suspect, it strengthens the case for believing in dolphin culture.
Until quite recently, culture was seen as a defining human characteristic not shared by animals.
It is described as a non-hereditary complex skill that some members of a population teach to others, causing it to spread and pass down generations.
Chimpanzees are now also known to exhibit this sort of advanced behaviour. But the idea of dolphins and possibly other animals belonging to the culture club is controversial.
The new research was conducted by Dr Tony Martin of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, and Dr Vera da Silva, from the National Institute of Amazonian Research.
They studied more than 6,000 groups of dolphins between August 2003 and August 2006 in Mamiraua, a 225-square-kilometre flooded rainforest reserve in Brazil.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
