After 22 years of observations in Shark Bay, Australia, behavioral bio
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03 Jun 2023, 11:23
After 22 years of observations in Shark Bay, Australia, behavioral biologist Janet Mann, and her colleagues have discovered that certain bottlenose dolphins, known as spongers, form social networks, showing the first hints of culture among non-human animals.
A fact. Scientists observed that a kind of dolphin has strong interactions among the members which is the first trace of culture in non-humans
Spongers are dolphins that wear marine basket sponges on their beaks as hunting tools, using them to root around on deep sandy bottoms and find fish concealed below the sand.
These dolphins have a special tool to find fish under the sand in the ocean
Sponging is a complex hunting technique passed on from mother to offspring.
This technique is passed from mother to offspring or calves
A sponger must know where the sponges grow, how to pick the right sponge, how to remove the sponge intact from the ocean floor, and how and where to properly hunt.
here we have an explanation of how the sponger works
Spongers typically live solitary lives, but over 22 years of observation, a pattern emerged.
They are lone animals but after several years of observations something, maybe, is different
The 28 female spongers formed cliques with other female spongers that were not necessarily genetically related to them.
There is also a relationship among spongers NOT related genetically I.E are not bonded by blood
This behavior differs from other animal behavior where circumstances, such as genetics or food sources, dictate the formation of groups.
This is the explanation why the spongers act this way
The fact that these spongers chose to associate based upon similar, socially learned behaviors makes their cliques a cultural first among animals.
Turns out, this explains and confirms what is stated in the first sentence