Dolphins watched 'Spongebob Squarepants' and 'Planet Earth' for science
Dolphins watched 'Spongebob Squarepants' and 'Planet Earth' for science
BY JOHNNY LIEU
1 HOUR AGO
Mindlessly watching TV is a pastime enjoyed by many humans, and it seems dolphins are into it too.
Researchers at the Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder in Key Largo, Florida, played videos on a TV screen through underwater windows for a small sample of 11 bottlenose and five rough-toothed dolphins.
As detailed in a subsequent study published in Zoo Biology, the team played scenes from Sir David Attenborough's Planet Earth featuring other cetaceans, as well as clips from the nature series without any animals, plus some Spongebob Squarepants for good measure.
The researchers monitored the dolphins' behaviour, noting certain traits like aggression (indicated by head jerks or a jaw clap), or interest (shown by raising their chin, or pressing their melon — basically, their rounded forehead — against the TV), or the blowing of bubbles (which can either be a sign of aggression or interest, although researchers think it's more the former in this case).
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https://mashable.com/article/dolphins-tv-watching-interest/#eRb305Bbqiq7