Dolphins Have Friends, Too

Dolphins are known for being highly social animals, so much so that new research shows they are even capable of having friends.

A team of scientists at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) at Florida Atlantic University took a closer look at the interactions between bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), and discovered how they mingle and with whom they spend their time.

After conducting intensive photo-ID surveys along the IRL, the team found that individual dolphins exhibited both preference and avoidance behavior. So similar to humans, they like and associate with certain dolphins while avoiding others.

The findings, published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, also show that IRL dolphins form groups of associated animals, or "communities," that tended to occupy certain areas along the north-south axis of the lagoon system.

One of the more unique aspects of our study was the discovery that the physical dimensions of the habitat, the long, narrow lagoon system itself, influenced the spatial and temporal dynamics of dolphin association patterns," Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb, a research biologist at HBOI who was involved in the study, said in a statement. "For example, communities that occupy the narrowest stretches of the Indian River Lagoon have the most compact social networks, similar to humans who live in small towns and have fewer people with whom to interact."

Not only does this study provide unique insight into the highly complex and dynamic social networks of dolphins, but it also shows how these friendly animals organize themselves, who they interact with and who they avoid, as well as when and where.

By better understanding how dolphin populations perceive and use their environment, scientists can determine how social networks will influence information transfer and potentially breeding behavior, as well as disease transmission.

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