A deformed bottlenose dolphin was taken in as part of a family of sperm whales, and the rare alliance was caught on video!
Researchers spent eight days observing the group off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal. Such an interaction had never been witnessed before.
The adult male bottlenose dolphin has a severe spinal deformity, which makes us wonder about the reasoning behind this unique partnership.
John Francis of the National Geographic Society explained that the interaction could have started with the dolphin attempting to “bow ride” the whale. Dolphins commonly closely follow ships, and sometimes large whales, to make swimming easier by utilizing the pressure waves generated.
On the other hand, it could have started as a playful or social gesture, as the slower whales were likely easier to keep up with than members of his own group.
But why would the whales let this dolphin continue to hang around in their close-knit pod?
One theory suggested that the sperm whales could have benefitted from having a “babysitter” around for their calves while they were feeding. Sperm whales dive up to 3,200 feet and can stay underwater for up to 90 minutes while foraging. This is a long time to leave a calf by itself at the surface, and other sperm whales in the group generally take over as a babysitter. An extra set of eyes never hurts!
Another possibility is that both the dolphin and the sperm whales wanted extra protection from predators. There is safety in numbers.
Whatever the reason, this is truly a remarkable interaction, and we are so grateful that it was captured on video!