There is an opinion that dolphins are the friendliest and most peaceful creatures on the planet, which often become guides and saviors of people in the midst of the abyss. Probably, everyone had heard of such cases of the miraculous salvation of drowning people.
Unfortunately, there is another, by no means so rosy, statistic. Dolphin attacks on humans are not uncommon.
Children of Poseidon
Since ancient times, relationships between dolphins and humans have been special.
The ancient Greeks revered Dolphin - the messenger of Poseidon, and the dolphins called him children. Dolphins were so respectful that killing this animal was punishable by death.
The word "delphus" itself is translated from Greek as "womb", which only emphasizes the deep, even in some sense, intimate relationship between people and dolphins.
In Rome and Mesopotamia these animals were depicted on the walls of baths, therms and baths. Ancient coins and jewelry with dolphins have survived to this day.
The ancient Scandinavians believed that to see a flock of dolphins in the midst of waves is a good sign that will certainly bring good luck in a sea voyage. Norwegians and Danes believed that dolphins were endowed with the gift of healing the sick and healing wounds.
According to many researchers, the belief of modern people in the exceptional friendliness of dolphins is rooted in hoary antiquity. It is likely that old tales and signs also underlie the faith of our contemporaries that these animals are not at all dangerous.
Nice smile
There is something else, thanks to which the image of a friend, comrade and assistant of a person was formed. Just look at their charming smiles! It seems that the animal is just happy to meet a person.
But biologists remind: what you see is not an emotion at all. In this case, we are talking exclusively about the shape of the structure of the jaw. A dolphin is physically incapable of accepting another expression.
By the way, this should be remembered in the dolphinarium: let the "contented" faces of dolphins do not mislead you. It is unlikely that an animal destined to live among the vastness and depths is happily in a chlorinated prison.
Are dolphins lifeguards?
Frankly, there is currently no officially recorded fact of saving a person by a dolphin.
Despite the fact that such stories often appear in the tabloid press, scientists are skeptical of this phenomenon. Of course, it is too early to categorically assert that this is impossible, but it is worth recognizing: there is very little supporting evidence.
Moreover, according to some experts, the opposite phenomenon is quite possible. Recently, more and more facts of dolphin attacks on humans. And they, no matter how terrible, are officially confirmed by the testimonies of eyewitnesses and coastguard officers, and the conclusions of doctors. Some moments even fell into the camera lenses.
Features of behavior in the natural environment
Before answering the question of whether dolphins are capable of intentionally harming a person, it is necessary to consider several important questions. This will help shed light on motives and causes.
In the natural environment, these creatures lead a usual way of life for a predator. According to biologists, dolphins (like many representatives of the cetacean order) have a very peculiar sleep pattern. A dolphin never shuts off completely: the hemispheres of his brain doze in turn. In this case, the animal can do without sleep for up to five days.
These creatures are pretty smart and inquisitive. But in order to achieve their goals, they are capable of much. Consider some facts.
Forced love
The mating season is a special time for all animals living in the wild. This period is always fraught with certain dangers, because there is a struggle for territories and partners.
Dolphins are no exception. It has been established that one female and several males are usually involved in one sexual intercourse, and gentlemen prefer not to bother with beautiful courtship. Instead, having united, they simply drive the female until she is deprived of strength, and then, in turn, have fun with her for several weeks.
For this, biologists use the term “forced copulation”. In fact, coercion is the norm for dolphins. If we are talking about the relationship of animals in the wild, this is not surprising. But if we consider cases of dolphin attacks on people, there really is something to be afraid of. The fact is that, according to many victims, male dolphins often show unhealthy activity: they try to climb a person, rub against it, make peculiar movements.
In such cases, we are not talking about actual rape (biologists cannot answer the question whether an act between a dolphin and a person is possible purely technically). But there have been many cases where dolphins have shown sexual interest in humans. And sexual attraction in these animals, as we already know, is always associated with aggression.
Infanticide
An even more frightening feature of the behavior of these marine mammals is the bloody struggle for power. Before the breeding season, young males, choosing a female, often kill her cubs.
Speaking about whether there have been cases of dolphin attacks on humans, we must not forget that these animals are capable of cruelty even against fellow tribesmen.
Dolphins and porpoises
Even more shocking news comes from the shores of the UK. One of the largest bottlenose dolphin populations in the world lives in those parts of the world, and a rather impressive population of porpoises lives in the same place. These are related species that are not food competitors and may well coexist peacefully.
According to experts, in the second half of the twentieth century, dolphins exterminated more than 60% of the livestock of porpoises. What are the reasons? This remains a mystery. But in any case, this is not a murder for the sake of survival: dolphins do not eat porpoise meat.
Excessive sociability
According to scientists, dolphins often become the main attackers, who for some reason left the pack. These animals are curious and sociable, therefore, they often suffer from a lack of communication with fellow tribesmen. In order to compensate for the attention deficit, dolphins often begin to pester people. But it happens that a dolphin cannot calculate strength, is too keen on the game, causing harm to humans.
Answering the question of whether there were dolphin attacks on humans, scientists cite several officially registered examples when lonely dolphins terrorized beaches.
The game of "dog"
Another reason for the dolphin's attack on people may be elementary begging. Pestering a person, a smart animal simply begs for food. Several cases of dolphin attacks on humans in the Black Sea have been recorded, when marine mammals craved not just communication, but tried to take prey from fishermen.
Armed Deserters
Perhaps this is the darkest part of our article. We are talking about dolphins, which man used for military purposes. These animals are well trained, easy to train. But you can use their intelligence not only for acrobatic stunts and ball games.
A number of countries, including the USSR, the USA, Great Britain, Italy, trained dolphins at special military bases, teaching the wisdom of mine-subversive, sapper and sabotage. Yes, people themselves once taught dolphins to attack and kill.
After the UN resolution, such activities were discontinued. Currently, dolphins are forbidden to use for military purposes. But what happened to trained saboteurs? The secrecy stamp has not yet been removed, and we still cannot find out whether dolphins were released into the wild in Europe and the USSR. But alarming news came from the US laboratory: there, during Hurricane Katrina (2005), a group of dolphins fled into the ocean. Moreover, some were armed with sharp spikes, similar to a narwhal horn, designed directly to kill divers.
Cases of Attack on People
In 2006, a lone dolphin literally terrorized vacationers on the Brittany coast. A bully pounced on swimmers, turned over boats, trying to throw people into the sea.
In 2007, in New Zealand, an aggressive dolphin attacked a pleasure boat, in which there were two tourists. The girl experienced such a shock that it turned into a heart attack. Fortunately, her companion managed to call rescuers.
Cases of attacks, according to scientists, occur more often. And not all of them end in fear. For example, in Hawaii, a trinity of dolphins tore a diver to death. In Miami, four tourists died while swimming under the pressure of a flock of dolphins.
In Weymouth, local authorities urged women to refrain from long-distance swimming. The coast was chosen by a sexually preoccupied dolphin, who repeatedly tried to drag women to the depths. The coast guard had to arrange a real hunt.
There are frequent cases of dolphin attacks on people in the Black Sea. Scientists continue to discuss the causes of the phenomenon. But one thing is definitely clear: representatives of the Black Sea population are very aggressive.
In the late 80s, a Moscow journalist saw a couple of dolphins in Fox Bay. A happy tourist, seriously confident in the good nature of marine animals, ran into the water. But the male dolphin, probably mistaking the man for a competitor, immediately rushed to the attack. Fortunately, the man was saved by friends.
The winter swimming enthusiast was also unlucky, who was attacked by a flock of dolphins near Yalta in January 2007. The aggressors dragged the man into the open sea, which would inevitably have been fatal, if there hadn’t been any nearby officers of the Ministry of Emergencies. Rescuers heard screams and managed to drive away predators.
Dolphin attacks on people in dolphinariums are not so rare. Experienced trainers try to make less contact with the wards during the mating season, realizing that a marine animal can take a person in a black wetsuit for a relative.
Who is more dangerous?
The dolphin friendliness myth is definitely worth debunking. And for people, and for inhabitants of the deep sea, this will only be useful, because people often try to stroke wild animals, swim next to them. Dolphin is not a friend of man, it is a wild predatory animal.
But in fairness, we note that people do much more harm to dolphins, destroying them for protein-rich meat, locking them in cramped pools of dolphins, conducting medical research, littering the oceans and seas, conquering more and more territories from the wild.
What to do? The answer is simple: do not go to the dolphins, leave them alone. Indeed, despite the behavioral characteristics, these noble creatures have the right to live freely.