Certain bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Western Australia have picked up an unusual trick, a new study reports: When they head off to forage for a meal, they first grab sponges and hold them in their beaks as they dive down to the seafloor. These dolphins dive to the bottom of deep channels and poke their sponge-covered beaks into the sandy ocean floor to flush out small fish that dwell there…. Foragers then drop their sponges, gobble up available fish and retrieve the implements for another sweep [Science News]. This complicated procedure is the first confirmed example of tool use by dolphins, researchers say.
Via 80beats. Of course, the usual scientific “we don’t know what this means, we swear only a couple are doing it so it’s an anomaly but a curious one etc etc” are trotted out. It seems odd to me that science still binds itself with the mindset of a separation between ‘natural’ and ‘human’ beings and activities, and ‘humans are unique.’ The attitude is slowly being overcome, but you can still see it in the surprise that is shown when finds like this are made.
We are Not Unique. We are Not Alone. We were Just Lucky. We just got here first, but that doesn’t mean that others aren’t fast catching up.