Dolphins taste the urine of their “friends” to recognize them from a distance

In the study, scientists offered eight bottlenose dolphins urine samples from familiar and unfamiliar individuals.

It turned out that dolphins spend three times as much time studying the urine of their acquaintances, tasting it - they are not able to smell due to the lack of olfactory bulbs.

At the same time, an examination of the genitals, in which the dolphintouching the jaw to the genitals of another individual is a common occurrence in their social interactions. This is precisely what gives bottlenose dolphins a good opportunity to learn the taste of someone else's urine.

A team of scientists that included SamWalmsley and Vincent Janik from the University of St. Andrews noted that using the taste of urine to find "familiar" people is very useful in the open ocean. Its trail remains for some time after the animal has swam away.

Dolphins have a rich social world, and it is very important for them to recognize their friends and enemies, the authors of the study conclude.

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