Ellen Rose Jacobs studies dolphins using sponges as hunting tools
Updated
Updated · Earth.com · May 5
Ellen Rose Jacobs studies dolphins using sponges as hunting tools
10 articles · Updated · Earth.com · May 5
In Shark Bay, Western Australia, Aarhus University and Georgetown researchers found only about 5% of bottlenose dolphins use the technique, learned mainly from mothers over three to four years.
Recordings and simulations showed sponges protect snouts from rocks and stinging animals but distort echolocation, with different sponge shapes changing click beams and weakening returning echoes.
The study in Royal Society Open Science suggests the behaviour persists because it uncovers prey others miss, but its steep learning curve and rising ocean noise may limit wider spread.
As oceans get louder, can tool-using dolphins that already block their own sonar adapt to survive?
If dolphins learn tool use from both mothers and friends, what does this reveal about their complex cultures?
Is the dolphins' sponge tool a brilliant innovation or a sensory handicap they must overcome?
How Sponging Dolphins Overcome Echolocation Challenges Through Maternal Learning and Cognitive Adaptation
Overview
In Shark Bay, a small group of bottlenose dolphins use marine sponges as tools to protect their sensitive snouts while foraging on the seafloor. Although the sponges shield them from injury, they also distort the dolphins' echolocation signals, making it harder to detect prey. To overcome this, sponging dolphins develop special cognitive skills through a long learning process passed down from mothers to offspring, mainly daughters. This cultural transmission is rare, with only about 5% of the population practicing sponging. Additionally, human noise pollution worsens the dolphins' echolocation challenges, threatening the survival of this unique, culturally rich behavior.