If a person has a rash, they could go to the doctor and get some ointment to put on it.
Skin disorders affect Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins as well, but they treat themselves by lining up nose-to-tail to rub themselves against reefs.
Researchers have discovered that these corals have therapeutic characteristics, implying that dolphins use the aquatic crustaceans to treat skin ailments.
Dolphin self-medication
RAYMOND ROIG/AFP via Getty Images
Co-lead author Angela Ziltener, a wildlife scientist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, first noticed dolphins rubbing against coral in the Northern Red Sea off the coast of Egypt thirteen years ago.
She and her colleagues noted that the dolphins were picky about which corals they brushed up against, and they wanted to know why.
She'd never heard of this coral rubbing activity before, and it was evident that the dolphins understood exactly which coral they wanted to utilize, says Ziltener.
Most dolphin research is done from the surface of the water, but Ziltener was able to examine the dolphins up close since she is a diver.
It took a while for her to gain the trust of the pod, which she was able to achieve in part because the dolphins were unfazed by the enormous bubbles generated by the diving tanks and had become accustomed to divers.
"Some dolphins, such as spinner dolphins in the southern Egyptian Red Sea, are wary of bubbles," she explained, as per ScienceDaily.
She and her colleagues were able to determine and analyse the corals rubbed on by the dolphins when the pod permitted her to visit them on a regular basis.
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins were stirring the microscopic polyps that make up the coral community, according to Ziltener and her colleagues, and these invertebrates were leaking mucus as a result of their constant rubbing against the corals.
The reefs where these corals may be found are critical habitats for local dolphins.
They go there to relax and have a good time.
Many people are unaware that these coral reefs serve as both homes and playgrounds for dolphins, according to Ziltener.
The dolphins frequently wake up between naps to execute the coral rubbing habit. She described it as "almost like they are showering, cleansing themselves before going to sleep or getting up for the day."
The seemingly miraculous recovery of dolphins is the result of a combination of exceptional skills.
First, dolphins do not bleed to death even when they have a massive gaping cut in their side.
They might employ their diving mechanism, which cuts off blood supply to unimportant portions of their anatomy, to restrict blood flow to the damage while it clots, according to Michael Zasloff of Georgetown University Medical Center.
Second, the dolphins' wounds do not exhibit evidence of infection during the healing process.
Researchers discovered that their skin and blubber contain antibacterial chemicals that might help prevent infections in open wounds.
While recovering from these injuries, the dolphins also do not exhibit conventional pain reactions.
A severe open wound would usually change an animal's behavior and food patterns for a while.
In his interactions with dolphin handlers, Zasloff learned that even when critically injured, dolphins feed and behave normally.
Nari's injuries and subsequent rehabilitation On February 13, 2009, she was first seen wounded. The injury was around 35 inches (90 cm) wide when it initially appeared.
Zarloff believed the healing capacity is extraordinary in and of itself, as per LiveScience.
The dolphins can repair lost tissue even gouges the size of two footballs in a few weeks without losing their body structure.
They may acquire this regeneration capacity from specific stem cells, similar to how certain amphibians regenerate limbs.
