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https://theconversation.com/bottlenose-dolphins-smile-at-each-other-when-they-play-new-study-reveals-how-and-why-240556>
"Dolphins have an irresistible charm for people. They are extremely playful at
all ages and often play alone, surfing the waves, leaping into the air,
performing flips and striking the water with their tail flukes.
They also play with whatever they find in the ocean – sponges, corals, sticks,
plastic bags and floating buoys.
Their play is also social. Bottlenose dolphins (
Tursiops truncatus), which
live in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, including the African coasts,
play with other dolphins in the first weeks of life. The mother is the first
playmate and then the dolphin calf expands its social network. This species of
dolphin offers an ideal model to study how animals communicate through play.
When we humans see facial expressions like relaxed, open mouths, our faces
automatically mimic them within milliseconds. This is called rapid facial
mimicry. It’s a reflex, kicking in without us even thinking about it. In humans
and many other animals too, rapid facial mimicry helps synchronise movements
during play.
Until now, the role of facial communication in managing playful encounters
between dolphins remained a mystery. In our research, we uncovered the presence
of a distinct facial display, the open mouth, in bottlenose dolphins. This
expression is most commonly observed during playful interactions with other
dolphins, especially when the sender is within the receiver’s line of sight.
Our discovery sheds new light on how dolphins use subtle facial cues during
social play."
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
