<
https://www.sciencealert.com/an-incredible-thing-happens-when-dolphins-and-humans-team-up>
'Humans and dolphins on the southern coast of Brazil have created a carefully
synchronized 'dance' to shepherd as much migrating mullet into their nets and
mouths as possible.
Traditional fishers in the city of Laguna have been working with Lahille's
bottlenose dolphins (
Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) to capture fish for more
than 140 years.
From above, the dolphins appear to drive schools of mullet into the shore,
right near fishers who are wading in the shallows. Only after receiving a cue
from the dolphins do the fishers throw their nets.
Researchers have spent more than a decade studying this close relationship, and
they say it is a rare example of mutualism, in which two species help each
other to both improve their chances of survival.
"We knew that the fishers were observing the dolphins' behavior to determine
when to cast their nets, but we didn't know if the dolphins were actively
coordinating their behavior with the fishers," says marine biologist Mauricio
Cantor of Oregon State University.
"Using drones and underwater imaging, we could observe the behaviors of fishers
and dolphins with unprecedented detail and found that they catch more fish by
working in synchrony."'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
