Photo: Ranae Smith | Unsplash
Fascinating dolphin research may ultimately lead to a better understanding of the evolution of peacefulness. In the summer of 2013, dolphin researcher Nicole Danaher-Garcia caught sight of 10 adult Atlantic spotted dolphins she had never seen before, speeding into the waters of another group of dolphins. The 46 newcomers joined with the 120 resident dolphins with the two groups partially integrating. Over five years of observing the two groups in Bimini, the Dolphin Communication Project saw the two groups starting to mix without "any signs of aggression." Not only did male and female dolphins from the two groups get along, but in adult males, scientists saw the behaviors signaling male friendships normally seen in juvenile and subadult dolphins. Peter Corkeron, a marine biologist and cetacean expert, hopes the findings mean that dolphins may "find ways to deal with social changes" as oceans warm.
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