Think about people you know, and how you could tell they were still around even if you couldn't see them.
The taste of urine and signature whistles allow bottlenose dolphins to recognize their friends at a distance, according to a study published Wednesday.
The use of taste is beneficial in the open ocean because urine will persist for a while after an animal has left.
By recognizing who caused a plume, dolphins would be alert to the recent presence of that individual even if it had not signaled its presence.
It has been difficult to answer the question of whether animals can attach labels to their friends. It's not clear whether animals use labeling when communicating naturally.
An interesting test case to study was bottlenose dolphins, who use signature whistles to address specific individuals, and can remember these for over 20 years.
The dolphins were presented with urine samples from familiar and unfamiliar people, and they spent three times as long sampling urine from those they knew.
In social interactions, dolphins use their jaws to touch the genitals of others, giving them a chance to learn the taste of urine.
The dolphins were trained to give urine samples on demand in exchange for food.
The team is certain that it was taste and not smell that they were missing, because they don't have olfactory bulbs.
The urine samples were matched with recordings of signature whistles played via underwater speakers, corresponding to either the same dolphin that provided the urine sample or a mismatch.
The two lines of evidence evoked more interest when the vocalizations matched the urine samples.
The team believed that major urinary proteins and lipids were responsible for individual chemical signatures.
They said that it is likely that dolphins can use other information from urine, such as reproductive state, or use pheromones to influence each other's behavior.
More information: Jason N. Bruck et al, Cross-modal perception of identity by sound and taste in bottlenose dolphins, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm7684. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm7684 Journal information: Science AdvancesThere will be a new year in 2022.
Citation: Pee pals: Dolphins use taste of urine to recognize friends (2022, May 18) retrieved 18 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-pee-pals-dolphins-urine-friends.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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