Dolphins form groups like humans: Swiss study

[xchrom]

http://www.thelocal.ch/2987/20120330/



A study carried out by the University of Zurich in Shark Bay, Australia found that male dolphins bond with one another in ways that are almost as complex as humans.

A joint team of researchers from the United States, Australia and the University of Zurich’s Anthropological Institute & Museum built on studies from the 1990s which found that two to three males would form an alliance to steal females from a group for mating purposes.

Interested in the way that these renegade dolphins formed their teams, researchers looked at the structure of these male relationships.

They found that dolphins have exceedingly complex bonds with one another, and that their relationships are not based on an obvious group structure. In this way, they are comparable only with humans.

[izquierdista]

1. One important difference

When a dolphin wants to go to a pick-up bar, he needs a good 'fin' man, not a good 'wing' man.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Interesting. Are there nerd dolphins

that the other dolphins don't want to hang out with and would give wedgies to if dolphins wore underpants?

[Silent3]

3. And are there subsets of nerd dolphins...

...broken up into Star Wars vs. Star Trek, or Linux vs. Windows vs. Mac?

[saras]

4. They'll all turn out to be surfing frat boys - oh, shit.

All this time we were wrong. We thought they were so cute and playful, so helpful and obedient, so romantic and sexy.

No, they're a bunch of partying yahoos, looking for anyone to join their good time, and looking to hump anything still conscious.

Go, Dolphins.

[Odin2005]

5. So they are like groups of gang-banger assholes?

[lastlib]

6. Do they have access to Facebook???

[Javaman]

7. In a recent development, Dolphin language was translated...

and it was found that the group was called "Heathers". Researches felt a chill up their spines.

[xchrom]

8. ...