For years, marine mammal researchers have wondered what makes cheerful dolphins escort a passing ship tick: Is it just for fun, or does it have a practical purpose? A recent study showed that intelligent animals derive real benefits from this.

The sight of dolphins alongside a ship during a cruise always evokes a sense of celebration, but for biologists it is also a matter of scientific curiosity. Scientists are particularly interested in why these mobile creatures tend to swim in front of the bow of the ship. It has long been suspected that cunning animals are not just having fun.

Recently a team of researchers from the United States decided to test this. They went on an expedition to the coast of New Zealand, where black dolphins live (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) is known for his amazing somersaults and other acrobatic tricks on the water.

As biologists expected, the animals repeatedly swam toward the research vessel, including clinging to the bow. When such a lucky opportunity arose, the dolphins were observed using a drone equipped with a camera.

In an article I wrote for a magazine Scientific Reports Scientists said that they were faced with a difficult task – to keep the quadcopter as low as possible and direct the camera directly at the animals during their rapid movements: it was necessary to record and compare how the dolphins breathe when “chasing” the ship. with their normal breathing during swimming. Images were reviewed at minimum speed to try to capture the dolphin’s every breath.

As a result, it was possible to establish that the breathing rate of dolphins accompanied by a ship was on average 45 percent lower than when swimming freely at a speed of more than four meters per second: when swimming in front of the ship. The animals took an average of six breaths per minute, and about 10 when free swimming. This shows that animals significantly save energy from a ship’s wave. We can say that they were listened to.

It was interesting that the same trend was observed in previously trained bottlenose dolphins, but experts assumed that the animals acquired this skill not independently, but through communication with humans. Therefore, it was important to observe wild dolphins. Researchers emphasized that saving energy when swimming near ships does not in any way eliminate the pleasure from this process: dolphins, apparently, combine the pleasant with the useful.