Dolphins protect swimmers from shark (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6565810/)

Why? And how they are so intelligent? :confused:
Cool tough... :cool:

I heard dolphins who bring drowning swimmers to shore actually want them to die so I don't see how that's cool.. can't remember the source though.

Environment group Orca Research said dolphins attacked sharks to protect themselves and their young, so their actions in protecting the lifesavers was understandable.

Bottom life is not even Flipper is selfless..

I heard dolphins who bring drowning swimmers to shore actually want them to die so I don't see how that's cool.. can't remember the source though.
I don't follow that. That's not logical...

Besides, sounds like treating dolphins as politicians... :D



Bottom life is not even Flipper is selfless..
Pure assumptions (them)...

I don't follow that. That's not logical...

Besides, sounds like treating dolphins as politicians... :D

Well supposedly they think by bringing humans to shore, they will die (since dolphins don't want anyone invading their territory).

Some dolphins have had extensive exposure to humans, such as divers. Since the humans don't compete with them for food or try to hurt them, and since we're obviously intelligent, social, and handy with tools, they probably regard us as potential allies in case they get attacked by sharks, orcas, leopard seals, or Klingons in wetsuits. So they treat us as such and help us when we seem to be in trouble. It's no big deal to them and if there's a chance we might repay the favor, it's worth the effort.

They're certainly smart enough and observant enough to understand that we're not fully aquatic, so taking one of us back to shore is a pretty logical thing to do.

I heard dolphins who bring drowning swimmers to shore actually want them to die so I don't see how that's cool.. can't remember the source though.

That's really cynical.

There are ancient Greek stories where men fall off boats and dolphins lead them to safety. I think the dolphins are being nice, and we should return the favor and stop making tuna out of them.

Has anyone figured out if dolphins have a language yet?

they have a form of advanced communication, im not sure if it is a language as such.

this may shock many of you, the week after those dolphins saved the lifeguards, 2 of them were killed by fishermen after being caught in the net :( stupid fisherman

Well supposedly they think by bringing humans to shore, they will die (since dolphins don't want anyone invading their territory).
§outh§tar.... I prefer when you were a theist.... :(

Dolphins have no "territory"....

Some dolphins have had extensive exposure to humans, such as divers. Since the humans don't compete with them for food or try to hurt them, and since we're obviously intelligent, social, and handy with tools, they probably regard us as potential allies in case they get attacked by sharks, orcas, leopard seals, or Klingons in wetsuits. So they treat us as such and help us when we seem to be in trouble. It's no big deal to them and if there's a chance we might repay the favor, it's worth the effort.

They're certainly smart enough and observant enough to understand that we're not fully aquatic, so taking one of us back to shore is a pretty logical thing to do.
Yes... good olde mutualism. Now that is evolution... :)

Oh... and yes, dolphins have a fairly advanced communication system. Seen that many times in videos. I read something about that not long time ago.... I will see if I can remember... :/

Dr. John Lilley, the inventor of the sensory isolation (floatation) tank, spent years studying and performing experiments on dolphins. He reckons that dolphins can mimic human languages, but the words are too fast and high pitched to be understood. He apparently 'proved' it, by recording them and then slowing down the tape on playback.

Dolphins have no "territory"....Dolphins seem to disagree with you. They'll sometimes kill each other when a roaming pack intrudes.

Damn dolphins!
They kill for sport with their awful gigantic teeth, they polute our beaches, they create weapons of mass destruction, polute the air and the water with their poop... :rolleyes: :D

Damn dolphins!
They kill for sport with their awful gigantic teeth, they polute our beaches, they create weapons of mass destruction, polute the air and the water with their poop...

Uh. What exactly are you trying to say? That Dolpins are really some kind of inherently "good" species of animal that wants to do no harm to anyone? (At least to dolphins and humans. Fuck the fish.)

How is it that dolphins chase sharks off? Ever wonder about that? With their "awful giant teeth"? No. They headbutt the shit out of them. If they can headbutt a shark into submission, what do you think they can do to a person? Do you really think that there's never been instances of dolphins attacking humans? I've heard of no instances in particular, but I seriously doubt that it has never happened. Was there a dolphin meeting where they got together and decided that "humans are ok"?

And, as to weapons of mass destruction. So? I bet if they could, they would. Same with pollution. They're stuck in the water, their options are limited. Who knows what the future will bring?

I have heard of people being raped by dolphins (attempted rape anyway.) And, I've heard that wandering male dolphins (not in a pod) will work together to rape female dolphins. Are they really that "good"?

Do you really want any comments.... :rolleyes:

have heard of people being raped by dolphins (attempted rape anyway.) And, I've heard that wandering male dolphins (not in a pod) will work together to rape female dolphins. Are they really that "good"?

Yeah, I'd say that's fucking great.
Damn, to go back to the days when we were more like dolphins.... Just full of care-free days of fun in the sun, infanticide and gang rape.

Godbless you, bloodthirsty dolphins.

http://www.fishingnj.org/artdolphagress.htm

That still happens... :rolleyes:

I have heard of people being raped by dolphins (attempted rape anyway.) And, I've heard that wandering male dolphins (not in a pod) will work together to rape female dolphins. Are they really that "good"?Dolphins are one of the very few species of mammals in which the females are capable of copulating at any time, not just when in estrus. As a result, the males' sex drive is not triggered by pheromones or other signals to coincide with the estrus cycle. Dolphins, like humans, can couple for reasons other than pure biological drive.

I have also seen reports of dolphin rape. The context was six bull dolphins ganging up on a cow. In a three-dimensional environment it takes three males to catch the cow and keep her from escaping while one of them actually copulates. The other three stand off at a distance and keep potential rescuers away. The report did not say whether it was a true gang rape with the various males changing roles.

The report did say that this behavior had not been observed universally in all dolphins, but only in one population off the northeast coast of Australia.

I have not read of dolphins attempting to rape humans. Since we are reasonably capable swimmers, I presume that it would take a group of males to overpower a human in the water, just as it does with a dolphin victim. Probably more, since we have arms and legs to fight with. If the story did not include that bit of data, I'd be inclined to disbelieve it.

There are many reports of dolphins assisting humans in distress. I have never personally heard a report of a dolphin attacking a human being (of course that doesn't mean it's never happened, but it does seem to be quite rare).

I don't think it's fruitful to argue about whether this makes them 'good' or not (they're animals like all the rest of us, and their behaviors are largely shaped by their biological drives). But it is interesting to consider why they do behave so cooperatively with human beings.

I mean, they really have no reason to interact with us socially (which they are also well documented to do), much less protect us from sharks and drownings. We frequently catch them in our trawling nets, and in Japan they are hunted for their flesh. Considering how clever and social they are, one would have thought that the word would have spread that humans are not useful allies and are potentially quite dangerous.

Nevertheless, they seem to like us. Is it that they recognize fellow intelligent social mammals, and so find us appealing?

there are reports of dolphins masturbating on humans if I am not mistaken...don't kbnow if that would classif as rape...

Any links to prove that....?

Hum,
if I remember correctly, they seem to feel the bottom of boats with their sensitive penis. However, it seems that it is in the same sense, as we handle something strange with our hands, or sharks with their mouths.

Dolphins are curious.

isnt it odd how dolphins have already been documented by many different marine biologists and related scientists to prove they have a more highly developed brain and awareness than cats and dogs .. yet many people would think it barbarian to hunt catch and eat or kill dogs or cats for fun...
maybe the biggest lesson is the wide gap in ability to consider other life forms to be of cognitive capability.. maybe a left over dominent feture of theego centric caveman/women...
be assured the people who killed and chopped up those dolphins will be in turn hunted for by authoraties (i hope considering it is one of their jobs)... would you not expect the same if a neighbourhood pet had the same done to it ?
AND
before people try and evalute dolphins as being defined as being of good or bad nature would it not be a fair guide to look at human behaviour as a guide.. which is more cruel in un needed violence and killing, forget polution thats a non calculatable factor.
however orca have been documented to play with seals and other food with the scientists being unsure as to the motive...
best not to piss off an orca OR a dolphin i suspect.. sharks either as they live by smell (amoung other things) and could track you down next time you go for a swim... then your up for a lesson or two :D

Re links:

There used to be a page that was purportedly maintained by some wacko who said he enjoyed consensual sexual encounters with dolphins. It seems to have been taken down, but if you google dolphinsex.org you'll find a lot of other pages with commentary still up.