Most species of dolphins have the edges of their mouths curved upward, as if in a permanent smile. This dolphin smile brings an equally enthusiastic, irrepressible smile on the faces of most children and many adult visitors to the dolphinarium. Who's having the last laugh here, though?
A more thorough study of the habits of dolphins, carried out in last years, made scientists think about this issue.
Legends about kind, intelligent and selfless dolphins were born back in Ancient Greece. Even then, stories began to circulate about dolphins who saved shipwrecked sailors, and the first images of dolphins began to appear on huge painted vases.
Nowadays, interest in dolphins has awakened again and become even stronger, since science has told people that, in addition to a constant friendly smile, dolphins have a high social organization, the ability for mutual communication through whistling, tapping and other signals, an extraordinary ability to understand, almost “intelligence”, and an altruism that sets them apart from all other animal species, which also extends to humans.
Since we have been looking for approximately such “brothers in mind” for a long time, it was a stone’s throw from here to the proclamation of dolphins as “highly developed animated beings”, communication with which has a beneficial effect on people. Or, as the owner of the “dolphin site” on the Internet www.DolphinSwim.com Marie-Hélène Russell put it, “dolphins penetrate deeply into our soul, opening the door to our hearts.”
For just $1,600, you could join Marie-Hélène on her six-day sail around the Bahamas for "healing dolphin encounters." Her like-minded compatriot Swami Anand Buddha (formerly simply Smith), a former bodyguard, encourages people through the same Internet to “use the potential for spiritual transformation inherent in love and higher mind dolphins."
To the credit of dolphin scientists, they did not wait for these semi-literate mystical calls and began to explore the “dolphin potential” already in the early nineties.
A broad program of such study - first of wild and then of trained dolphins - quickly revealed some, to put it mildly, inaccuracies in the legend that had developed around these “laughing brothers in mind.”
It turned out that dolphins are by no means as kind, altruistic and “intelligent” as they always thought. Their true characteristics are rather opposite. They are aggressive, they practice infanticide, they attack people, and their bites are very dangerous. “These are large wild animals,” concluded one of the researchers, “and people should treat them with appropriate caution.”
Of course, we know another species of creatures considered intelligent, which is much more aggressive and cruel - these are people who, in the course of industrial fishing, destroyed thousands and tens of thousands of times more dolphins than human dolphins, but people are us, not We are talking about us here, we are an exception for ourselves. So let's leave this slippery (and fruitless) topic and return to dolphins. What has science found?
From 1991 to 1993, about fifty cases were discovered in which dolphins attacked their relatives - "porpoises" (and in fact, brown dolphins) and killed them, using their elongated noses as sticks, and then opened the bodies of those killed with their sharp teeth. It has now been established that dolphins slaughter porpoises in the hundreds, if not thousands.
It is curious that, unlike other killer animals, dolphins do not eat the porpoises they kill; their desire to kill is not dictated by hunger (dolphins eat small octopuses and small fish). Perhaps this is the main proof of their intelligence?
However, some scientists still hope to find an explanation for such bloodthirstiness in purely biological competition: porpoises, they suggest, compete with dolphins for food. Good explanation; the only trouble is that porpoises and dolphins eat absolutely different fish.
Further research showed that dolphins kill their own females just as readily as porpoises. There are already dozens of relevant observations. One of the researchers watched in horror as a large dolphin tortured one such female for almost an hour before killing her - beating her with its “beak,” tearing it with its jaws, throwing it into the air and again resuming its “games” after it fell into the water.
Forgiving scientists also found a possible “reasonable” explanation: it was probably a male competing with another male for a female. But what explanation can be found for the fact that dolphins just as often kill newborn descendants of their own tribe? And finds of this kind are multiplying every year: dead newborn dolphins with ribs broken by a blow from a dolphin’s beak, or with their bellies ripped open by toothy dolphin jaws.
Of course, nature knows cases of infanticide, but all of them are explained either by hunger or by the desire of males to give an advantage to their offspring by destroying someone else's. Perhaps such rivalry is also typical of dolphins? But where then is their legendary altruism and self-sacrifice?
Studies over the past decade have shown that while trained dolphins are indeed safe for humans (one case in ten thousand contacts over the past five years), wild representatives The dolphin tribe is by no means so friendly.
Stories about dolphins that saved drowning people are now interpreted by researchers as a misunderstanding: most likely, these dolphins were simply playing with people, preventing them from drowning, like the female described above.
Contrary to legend, dolphins do not save people from sharks - they are simply interested in everything that swims, and therefore approach people, and sharks are known to avoid crowds of dolphins.
Considerable evidence has already been collected that wild dolphins sometimes do not hesitate to bite a person, which, given the sharpness of their teeth, is far from a harmless joke.
And, in general, scientists tend to agree that dolphins in the wild are cold-blooded killers, and it is best to avoid contact with them. Of course, we really want to think that they understand us, play with us, respond with sympathy to our sympathy. But in reality, these are animals programmed by nature solely for survival. And for this purpose they will do anything.
Dolphins. Many people consider dolphins to be wonderful creatures of remarkable intelligence and kindness. This is partly true, but the mind plays tricks on our sea friends, and among them there are also real scum. Bottlenose dolphins, for example, sometimes kill and torture porpoises (dolphin-like cetaceans) just for fun. They don't eat them or try to drive them away, but simply beat them and don't let them breathe until they die. Also, some male dolphins rape both females and fellow males, not to mention other species.
Ants. Some species of ants use aphids as “cash cows,” eating their sweet secretions and protecting them from predators. It seems as if this is a completely harmonious symbiotic relationship, but the aphid is in complete slavery. If it tries to escape, the ants use special pheromones to stupefy the aphid and continue their slave-owning practices. 
Chimpanzee. Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist, once observed that some chimpanzees regularly kill and eat newborn babies for no apparent reason. More detailed studies have shown that monkeys are also capable of antisocial and outright insane behavior, similar to that in humans. 
Sea otters. Sea otters are the most charming creatures that swim on their backs, amusingly folding their paws on their stomachs. However, this impression is somewhat dispelled when it comes to mating. Male sea otters behave extremely aggressively during sex, painfully biting females. If there are no females nearby, they try to find someone who could replace them - for example, other male sea otters or other sea creatures. There are known cases of sea otters raping and killing cubs. fur seals who were unlucky enough to be nearby. 
Penguins. At the beginning of the 20th century, British explorer George Murray Levick and his team stumbled upon Adelie penguins during an expedition - and were horrified. The written story about the behavior of the “cute birds” impressed the censors so much that they banned its publication. According to Levick, male penguins tried to copulate with anything - the ground, other males, frozen corpses of females and baby penguins. They also raped females in large groups, crushing the eggs in the process. Levick described penguins as evil and emotionless creatures. 
Gorillas. In May 2016, a famous tragic incident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo. A three-year-old boy fell into the enclosure and ended up in the hands of a large male gorilla named Harambe. Zookeepers had to shoot the gorilla to save the child, which subsequently caused a wave of condemnation. But the people who defended the gorilla didn’t really understand what they were talking about. In fact, male gorillas often behave extremely aggressively and violently, especially when defending their territory. Sometimes they beat the young to death. And a child for them is the same enemy as an adult. 
Sloths and lions. Many zookeepers have watched in disgust as female sloth bears repeatedly eat their newborn offspring. But when in one such case people intervened and saved the cub, it turned out to be extremely weak and sick. Perhaps the cubs eaten were the same, and the female was trying to conserve her resources for healthier children. Lionesses have also been observed to behave similarly—they sometimes leave lion cubs to starve to death, then eat the corpses. Also, lion cubs can be killed by a male who has captured a new pride. 
Sharks. Unborn babies tiger shark fight to the death without leaving the mother's womb. Up to twelve fry can be formed, but only the one who wins and eats the rest will be released into the world. This may be due to the fact that the female shark copulates with by different males, and the brutal duel of the cubs determines the offspring with the best genes. 
Hyenas. In The Lion King, hyenas were mostly the butt of jokes, but in reality they are not something to be joked about. For starters, the hyena gives birth through the clitoris, which is more reminiscent of a penis, often dying in agony. Sometimes, during such a birth, the cubs also die - by suffocation. But even having survived, they find themselves pumped up to their ears with testosterone. This results in causeless aggression and fights between young animals to the death. 
Cats. You've probably heard the saying "plays like a cat and a mouse." So, it is based on a very real phenomenon. Cats, having caught a defenseless creature like a mouse or a bird, often torture it for a long time before killing it. There is an opinion that in this way the cat hones its hunting skills, but many animal behaviorists assure that this is just a game, simple entertainment. 
IN Lately They began to talk and write a lot about dolphins in popular science magazines and communities, and in a negative way. Animal reputation for a long time considered useful and friendly creatures to humans, are rapidly deteriorating, and their sweet “smiles” acquire a predatory grin in our eyes.
Not long ago we published a translation of Jennifer Welsh’s article “Dolphins May Try to Rape and Kill You,” in which the author refers to a specialist in the field marine biology Miriam Goldstein, who states: “Dolphins have many secrets that you are better off not knowing.” Here are a few facts with which Goldstein tries to convince us that it is better not to mess with dolphins:
1. Dolphins are prone to rape. Yes it's true. Two or three bottlenose dolphins will not take a long time to “persuad” a girlfriend into a “gangbang” - they will simply drive her into a corner with the help of aggressive movements and threatening sounds, and do what they wanted with her. And if the female tries to escape, the males will chase her.
2. Dolphins kill babies - their own and other species, such as cubs. porpoise. And they do it in the most brutal way possible. For example, in 1996, dolphins destroyed 60% of porpoises on the coast of Scotland. The bodies were found with bite marks from dolphin teeth and looked terrible: broken bones, torn tissue, bruises internal organs. We don't even know why they do this: after the prey is dead, the dolphins lose all interest in it and swim away. It seems that they kill just like that, out of cruelty.
As for killing one’s own offspring, perhaps its purpose is to make the female again capable of childbearing. After her cubs die, the mother is able to conceive again within 1-2 weeks. Accordingly, in this way males can compete with each other.
3. Dolphins attack people. Watch this video of a female swimmer being attacked by a dolphin and then a male swimmer trying to protect her. And by the way, pay attention to which exact place on the woman’s body interests the male first of all (there will be no blood or bitten off limbs).
Dolphins are not just predators, but predators perfectly adapted to hunting: for example, they can not sleep at all for up to five days in a row while searching for food. Even dolphins raised in captivity and raised by humans still remain wild animals weighing up to 300 kg and a number of sharp teeth, the number of which ranges from 100 to 240.
Justin Gregg, a specialist in the study of dolphins, tries to refute Goldstein’s position in his blog. Gregg believes that reports of dolphins attempting to rape members of their own and other species (including humans) are nothing more than a myth:
“Forced mating is a term often used to describe behavior periodically observed in bottlenose dolphins found in Shark Bay, Australia, and Sarasota Bay, Florida. Individual males and groups of males use different tactics to increase their chances of mating with females. In Shark Bay, for example, a group of male dolphins can often be seen in the company of one female for quite a long time. Sometimes such periods begin with the pursuit of a female, and sometimes the female joins the group herself. Sometimes males behave aggressively when males from another group try to “fight off” a female.
Dolphins can also use other tactics to force a female to mate. One of them is killing the cubs so that the female goes into estrus.
But, despite all the tricks and aggressive behavior, dolphins do not exhibit anything that could be called forced copulation (mating). The tactics mentioned above are clearly aimed at enticing the female to mate, but there is no physical violence involved.
In other words, even if we assume that the term “forced copulation” in animals is the equivalent of what is defined in human society as “rape” (that is, sexual contact without the consent of one of the parties), then such behavior has never been observed in dolphins.”
Apparently Gregg is one of the people advocating for the legal rights of dolphins as individuals (no joke). This is what makes me doubt his objectivity. For example, what would Gregg say about this video of a dolphin nicknamed Stinky attacking a diver in an attempt (according to videographer Michael Mays, who witnessed the event) to mate with him? When Stinky doesn't succeed in his plan, he changes tactics, trying to push the man out of the water.
60% of the porpoise population destroyed is a very serious argument. There is one more.
Lori Marino, a neuroscientist at Emory University, wrote a long article about why people tend to have anthropogenic attitudes towards dolphins. The history of the relationship between man and dolphin is rooted in mythology, for example, in ancient Greek legends about the gods, Delphine was the favorite messenger of Poseidon, and the word “delphus” itself is translated as “womb,” which emphasizes the deep and even intimate connection between dolphins and people.
IN Ancient Rome and Mesopotamia, frescoes with images of dolphins decorated bathrooms, they were printed on coins and jewelry, and in Ancient Greece killing a dolphin was punishable by death. The ancient Celts and ancient Norse attributed healing properties to them.
IN modern world The belief that interacting with dolphins can be therapeutic has become the basis of the business, with dolphin assisted therapy (DAT) becoming increasingly popular. Recently, in the United States, they are trying to treat autism in children with the help of these animals.
Marino warns: this is a very bad idea. You should not take dolphin “smiles” as a sign of affection towards people - in fact, a wild animal remains wild even after years of training. Dolphins living in captivity experience enormous daily stress as they try to adapt to unnatural conditions, which results primarily in dysfunction immune system, and animals often die from stomach ulcers, liver diseases, infections, etc. While you are selfishly trying to improve your health with the help of a dolphin, he himself needs medications - for example, antidepressants, without which the dolphin’s behavior can go out at any time out of control.
The worst thing is that there is no evidence of benefit from DAT - other than a short-term placebo effect, perhaps.
The only conclusion that comes to my mind based on these facts is this: leave the dolphins alone. Release them from dolphinariums and, especially, do not mess with them on the open sea. Man tries to penetrate into all spheres of life on the planet, to subjugate everything he can reach, but sooner or later this aggression turns against us.
All these stories about dolphin friends are inspired by cinema and the TV series “Flipper”. In fact dolphins They don’t strive to help anyone, they can be aggressive and generally behave no better than a pack of stray dogs. And they have more to their credit human lives than the sharks account for. Don't believe me? Then see for yourself.
Animal instincts
Dolphins themselves are not evil, but we must remember that they are wild animals and are guided by instincts. These mammals love to play and, wanting to play with a swimming person, can either push him to the shore or drown him. Unfortunately, cases of people being saved by dolphins are publicized much more often. The fact is that technically a dolphin does not kill a person, it only pushes him into the open sea, breaks his ribs or holds him under water for too long - then the victim dies itself. Mainly from fatigue, pain and the inability to swim to shore.
There are often cases when a school of dolphins plays with a swimmer like a ball, throwing it from nose to nose. As a result, a person receives numerous fractures and rarely finds the strength to swim to the shore and call for help.
“70s. Alushta. Slave. corner. A school of dolphins is frolicking about fifty meters from the shore.
One of the tipsy vacationers swims towards them to play.
They play with it like a ball. At first he laughed and rejoiced, then he began to call for help. It ended with the fact that after half an hour, two dolphins, pushing the almost lifeless body with their noses, pushed it to the shore, turned around and swam away. The man had several broken ribs, his whole body was covered in bruises, and we no longer knew what happened to his internal organs. He was taken away by ambulance."
The behavior of dolphins was studied by Scottish scientists Ben Wilson and Harry Ross. They became interested in the issue of unmotivated massacres dolphins and porpoises. It turned out that the dolphins were doing it just for fun - they were playing. Much the same thing happens to people.
Usually dolphins attack in a state of sexual aggression, but this state is characteristic of them.
Dolphins don't save you from sharks
Alas, this is true. Sharks themselves prefer to swim away if they see a dolphin, because they know that they have a strong and dangerous opponent in front of them, it is better to try their luck somewhere else.
Things are much worse if the dolphin's rival is a human. This can happen if the swimmer finds himself in a school of fish that is being hunted by a school. In this case, the unfortunate person is pushed far out into the open sea, away from THEIR fish. It is almost impossible to return from there.
Lonely dolphins
There is a phenomenon of so-called solitary dolphins. It happens that wild dolphin there is no pack and then he looks for company in the form of people, thus fulfilling the need for communication.
A 2003 article on the subject documented 29 cases of “social dolphins.” 13 of them (mostly males) showed sexual interest in humans - they had erections and tried to take possession of swimmers.
By the way, in this case, a dolphin can also drown its victim, trying to jump on it for carnal pleasures.
Reported murder case
IN scientific literature there is only one. In 1994, an aggressive dolphin appeared on a beach in Brazil, sending 28 people to the hospital. But on the 29th, Joao Paulo Moreira was killed by a dolphin.
Similar aggressive tactics for dolphins very rare, they usually do not deal with victims near the shore, but push them into the open sea, where they drown them, jump on a person, or hold them at the bottom (or all three). Result: internal organ damage, broken bones and loss of consciousness. Which leads to death.
Dolphins also kill their relatives
In general, the behavior of some dolphins can be compared to a criminal gang - they have internal disputes (mainly in the fight for females), and these cute mammals also love violence.
Due to their pronounced sexual instinct, dolphins do not shy away from raping females, often we're talking about about group acts. The female is driven in and held for up to several weeks, forcing sex with threatening gestures and aggressive sounds. If the victim runs away, he is pursued.
Also, dolphins often kill their cubs for one simple purpose - a mother who has lost a child will want sex again, and dolphins love sex.
More curious than smart
May all dolphin fans forgive us, but these mammals have no signs of outstanding intelligence. Yes, they can be trained, but nothing more. In August 2006, Spiegel Online even published an article with the screaming title “Dolphins are stupid.”
In captivity they are able to learn simple ways communication with people, but all their zeal is explained by natural curiosity.
Of course, it is wrong to say that all dolphins are dangerous. There are many known cases where dolphins played friendly with swimmers and surfers and did not show any signs of aggression. BUT. You never know how these games might end. It’s better not to take risks and keep a safe distance from dolphins, as well as from any wild animals.
Sociable and playful dolphins brutal killers. Their dark side comes out when it comes to reproduction. In the struggle to pass on their genes, the cruelty of dolphins knows no bounds. But their depravity does not end there. Sexual abuse, incest and infanticide are common traits of the cute, good-natured sea creatures. The cruel habits of dolphins are shocking. These mammals best demonstrate the concept of the dark and light side of personality.
Dolphins are smart and friendly
These marine mammals have high intelligence. This is easy to see if you look at their tricks. But cognitive abilities don't stop there. Captive dolphins, even after release, can remember the skills taught by their trainers for decades. They are able to imitate sounds generated by computers.
Dolphin vocalizations associated with specific objects. Using computer signals, a vocabulary for communication between humans and dolphins can be created. These mammals have vocalizations that signify its name. If scientists play back a recording of these sound sequences, the animals respond as if they know who is speaking to them.
Dolphins can remember each other's names for decades. In one study, female Allie responded to a recorded call from Bailey Island, where she was captured more than 20 years ago, and clearly greeted the individual who made it.
In 2001, two bottlenose dolphins (a species of dolphin) passed a mirror test and recognized their own image. Which shows their self-awareness. Moreover, when scientists applied patterns to their skin, the animals studied the changes in the mirror, just as we look at drawings and tattoos.
All these extraordinary abilities have led to a very friendly attitude towards dolphins. In India, they were even equated with individuals, and were prohibited from being shown in dolphinariums or placed in zoos, so as not to violate the freedom of the creatures. But further research also revealed the unusual cruelty of dolphins.
Fight for females
When the time comes for the breeding season, fierce competition for females begins. Males unite in groups of up to 14 individuals and capture the female. At the same time, the groups fight among themselves, often some males die during the battles. The winners are aggressive towards the won partner. They can hit her with their tail and head or bite her. The female cannot avoid mating if she is captured by a group of rapists. Over the course of a year, one female can be overtaken by several alliances.
Infanticide
In the late 1990s, 37 baby bottlenose dolphins washed up on Virginia beaches. Some looked healthy outwardly, but an autopsy showed the presence large quantity severe injuries caused by blunt objects. The children were hit mainly in the head and chest. Scientists found multiple rib fractures, lacerations and soft tissue bruises. The cubs were killed by adult males. One of the researchers saw how several adult animals dropped off a baby near the coast of the states.
Baby tossing can look like a game. Fun entertainment for adults and children. But dolphins use brutal blows to beat unrelated babies to death so that their mother goes into heat. In such a situation, it is beneficial for the female to mate with big amount males, then her baby has a better chance of survival.
Inbreeding in dolphins
Closely related relationships are common among bottlenose dolphins. By analyzing the DNA of different individuals, scientists have found that incest is very common among representatives of this species. One case was recorded by scientists. The father mated with the female in 1978, and 15 years later he began a relationship with his daughter. Dolphins remember well all representatives of their species, and you can be sure that the male knew that he was mating with his daughter.
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