Ahira's Hangar

This was a great story. I love dolphins too.

On a related note, recently on the show Mythbusters, the crew tested some shark myths. One of them was the seemingly incredible idea that, supposedly, sharks are "afraid" of dolphins and will turn tail if they see one nearby. Supporting this idea are the eyewitness accounts of shipwreck survivors telling of dolphins that swam close to them, effectively guarding them from shark attacks.

Anyway, the Mythbusters went to do their tests off the coast of South Africa - apparently the most shark infested waters in the world. At sunrise (prime feeding time), they dropped bait (a slab of foam cut into a vague surfboard shape). In seconds, a shark broke surface and attacked the foam - which was the expected response.

Then they dropped the bait again, but this time they also placed a dolphin in the water alongside the bait - their own custom-made, life-size mechanical dolphin with a rubber foam exterior to make it resemble the real thing exactly. As expected, a shark promptly showed up - but this time, it did not break surface and did not go in for the "kill." Instead, it hung around for a few seconds, seemingly not sure of what to do, then it went away - leaving both fake dolphin and foam slab unmolested! The Mythbusters repeated the test with a piece of real meat, and the results were the same: without the dolphin, an incoming shark takes the meat; with the dolphin nearby, a shark will come to investigate, but won't take the meat. This experiment did not "prove" that sharks are "afraid" of dolphins, but what it showed was that the presence of dolphins does seem to deter sharks from attacking things they normally would.

IIRC, it's not unknown for dolphins to have killed sharks, by the unusual method of ramming them at such speed that they cause internal injuries. Still, a surprising result nonethless.

--A

Plus dolphins can work in teams due to their intelligence and general friendliness. Sharks cannot do that...


a little off topic:
Another myth busters they filmed on the same trip to South Africa:
They showed that elephants really are wary around mice. They went to a wild life sanctuary where live a couple of elephants who are used to being around people. They hollowed out a big piece of dung and put a little white mouse underneath it. When the elephants walked near the dung, they pulled a string and flipped the dung over, releasing the mouse. The elephants shied away from the mice - bit not when it was just dung moving without the mouse. My son's theiry was that the elephants are intelligent enough not to want to needlessly step on other animals.

Interesting. Not sure if they'd worry much...although you never know. I do know that the undersides of their feet are very sensitive, and even quite mobile.

According to bushlore, (haven't found any corroboration in a quick search) they can mould the cushiony pads beneath to the shape of stones and other objects, accounting for the amazing silence of its movement, and the faintness of its tracks given its size.

Also, small creatures at your feet can be dangerous...snakes are an ever-present factor in its natural habitat.

(Just speculating.)

--A