Dolphins are amazing! I watched a PBS Nature documentary once that showed how dolphins actually do something very similar to spanking their children. Their young often swim too close to boat motors, a very dangerous activity for a fledgling dolphin. The parent will herd their baby away from the boats and chatter a scolding at him. However if the tiny dolphin continues his errant behaviour, the parent will take him to the sea floor and emit an uncomfortable slightly-hurty pulse into him, trying and dissuade the behaviour. After the pulse, they will nuzzle and coo at their child, finished with discipline and ready for more good natured dolphin play.
I had to include that because I am completely fascinated by it, and it is another bit of of dolphin behaviour that I find myself fascinated with today, a video I stumbled across, over at Boing Boing.
Dolphins, like people, love to play, and it seems like they are no less creative. The Dolphins in Sea World Orlando have developed a habit of creating water rings with their blowholes and then artistically playing with them, shaping them into smaller rings or new shapes. You can really register the joy on their faces as they go. Totally beats the hell out of smoke rings.
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