CLEARWATER, Fla. — Dolphins are incredibly intelligent creatures, yet there is still so much we have to learn about the species.
But scientists at The Nuremberg Zoo in Germany believe they have discovered the sensory ability of electroreception in bottlenose dolphins.
“Let me tell you, I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and this is new to me, and as I’m talking to peers in the industry, new to them,” said Kelly Martin, VP of Zoological Care at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
She continued, “Yes, this is fascinating, but it really hones in on the fact that these animals are more than we could ever imagine, and, like you and I, they have a unique way of adapting to their environments.”
Electroreception is known as the ability to sense electric currents in water. Experts believe dolphins could be using it to avoid predators, find food, navigate or even communicate with one another.
One sensory ability we already knew dolphins had is echolocation, which is the ability to see using sound.
“They emit sound, it bounces off of objects in their environment, and after that sound bounces off an object, it returns to the animals in their lower jaw and inner ear,” explained Martin.
ABC Action News asked Martin if there was anything she’d observed in her career that might explain dolphins using electroreception.
She pointed to dolphins in her care with hearing impairments and wondered if maybe this provides an explanation for what they can still do.
“We have had situations poolside where we will provide a stimulus—a tap on the water, tap on wall movement or gate system, toy in environment—an animal that can’t hear definitely responds. Could this be a part of it? Potentially,” explained Martin.
Several dolphin research projects are ongoing at CMA. Martin said it really feels like we haven’t even scratched the surface yet.
“Stop appreciating from afar and know there is still a lot to learn about these amazing animals, and we are in the beginning stages of what we can do and how we can help each other,” said Martin.
You can read the full study from The Nuremberg Zoo here.
