This 'gorgoning' releases antibacterial compounds and other substances that dolphins could be using to self-medicate
Like humans, dolphins sometimes suffer from irritated skin. But instead of lathering on soothing lotion, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the northern Red Sea head for the nearest coral reef. As if they were patrons at a popular spa, the dolphins line up to rub themselves against corals and sponges.
The unusual behavior is more complex than it initially appears, says study co-author Angela Ziltener, a marine biologist at the University of Zurich, who has monitored roughly 360 bottlenose dolphins in the Red Sea since 2009. “When I was diving in the Red Sea, I observed the dolphins doing this really unique behavior with [certain] corals, and I kept wondering, ‘What’s going on?’” she says.
To examine this relationship, Ziltener and her colleagues zeroed in on one aspect of the interaction that seemed to impact both creatures: mucus. As the dolphins grind against the corals and sponges, the friction causes the disturbed coral polyps to ooze fluid that sometimes stains the dolphins’ skin bright yellow or green.
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