A group of dolphins play with seagrass during a field visit to a Japanese island by a marine biologist.

Janik, who is the director of the Scottish Ocean Institute in the United Kingdom, said that the dolphins wrapped the seagrass around their fins and flippers.

Humans and most animals play together. Play in dolphins and other marine mammals is amazing. Dolphins are interested in activity and stimulation. The dolphin's face makes it look like it's smiling, and they perform stunts like jumping around boats.

It might seem like a simple question. It's difficult to identify the reasons. Humans may be more than just fun to dolphins.

Playing is not always what it seems

Sometimes the highest level of brain development in animals happens during play, and this could be the case for dolphins, according to a dolphin researcher.

A dolphin calf played with a stick in its mouth. The dolphin was able to use the same stick movement to move mangrove seedpods after a couple of months.

"What we observe may be anecdotally classified as play, but it could serve a bigger biological purpose," Eskelinen said.

"What we observe might be anecdotally classified as play, but it could serve a bigger biological purpose."

The curious nature of dolphins may make them different from other animals in their play behavior. dolphins pass fish back and forth to play catch

It's still a hypothesis that a toxin released by fish intoxicates dolphins. Heather Hill, who studies dolphin behavior and teaches psychology at St. Mary's University in Texas, says there isn't much evidence to support the intoxication theory. She thinks that dolphins like to mess with things like puffers.

Play begins young for dolphins. Dolphin calves learn to play with other members of their group. The emotional state of other dolphins is helped by it. They start playing when mothers nurse their young. Hill said that the genitalia is often involved. The calves seem to like that.

dolphins playing with a ball

Dolphins in captivity get more opportunities to play because they don't have to spend time foraging. Credit: Checchi Alberto / Getty Images

There are many opportunities to watch dolphins play in captivity. Humans and dolphins get along well in these environments. She said that they can often get them to play hide andseek. The play behaviors of wild dolphins are the same. The dolphins have less time to play because they have more time to hunt.

Dolphins playing with a puffer fish

Dolphins become curious when they encounter puffer fish, a fish that inflates itself to escape from its predators. Credit: Ramil dolphins / Shutterstock

The Scottish Ocean Institute's Janik said that sometimes dolphins play to have fun and relax. Dolphins play a game in which they create bubbles in the water for a short time. Exhaling air near the water surface is what they do. They bite or swim through the bubbles.

"There's a lot of questions that still need to be answered and connected for us to understand."

It's difficult to distinguish between a play fight and a serious fight in dolphins. In some animals, such as dogs or wolves, it's clear when the animals are sending non- serious play signals. He said that this isn't the case with most marine mammals.

There is still a lot to learn about dolphin play and behavior. She remembers watching a mother swim around her dead calf and wondering what purpose it would have served.