Dolphin Play: Bubble Rings
When you spend your life in the water, you tend to develop a good intuition for its subtleties. Dolphins have been observed creating bubble rings by, among other techniques, carefully exhaling air in the middle of the vortices caused by the motion of their fins through the water.
Besides being fun to watch and an impressive demonstration of fluid mechanics, the phenomenon may throw some light on dolphin cognition since the skill to create the rings is subtle and tends to be passed from one dolphin to the next by careful observation and practice.
Also intriguing is a report that dolphins appear to be using sonar to locate the vortex in the water, an impressive feat of audio analysis. More
Scuba divers have long blown bubble rings for fun, watching them rise to the surface. Some I know are quite good at it although I’ve never quite grasped the technique. But dolphins have learned to control the direction of their rings and even divide them into smaller segments. It’s fun to watch them at play!
Doug
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I could watch dolphins for hours. I have never seen them do this but I will watch for it. They are intelligent animals so I am not surprised that they have devised this way to entertain themselves.
Cool! I had never seen that!
My wife and daughters swam with dolphins in Hawaii and count it as one of our favorite vacations. The dolphins are almost human. It was almost spiritual. I am glad we are studying them....we will probably one day be able to communicate with them.
Great video, but the music chosen for it is all wrong. Reminds me more of a scene with Laura Ingalls ( Little House on the Prairie for those wondering) coming to grips with the death of a puppy.
I agree, the music doesn't fit the great video.
Does anyone know which aquarium this was shot at?
Wonderful! They are amazing animals!
Dolphins are magical creatures. We saw them do this at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. At first we didn't notice what they were doing, but one of them actually made a big ring and them swam through it. We figured they were trying to tell the handlers they wanted to play (and eat some fish rewards!)
I have seen this behavior and it is entertaining to watch. And they do appear to be teaching the others how to do it!
Isn't that amazing? And we think we are the superior species. Supports the theory that they are aliens from another world just biding their time.
They certainly are amazing creatures. I would love the opportunity to swim with them in the ocean!
They play their games for entertainment while we watch them for entertainment. They are active, we are passive. Which of us are the smart ones?
The next time we go to the aquarium, I will be watching for this behavior. Awesome video!