Enter The Spongers

Dolphin_spongerA few years ago, scientists were all shook up when they discovered primates making and using simple tools.

(Stripping the twigs off branches so they could stick them down holes to get yummy, high-protein termintes to eat, as I recall.)

This was regarded as important because humans had been regarded as the only critters that made tools (as opposed to simply finding something and using it) since the de-twigging move involved modifying something found.

Wel it looks like monkeys may not be the only non-human tool-makers (or users) around.

It seems that certain dolphins Down Under have taken to making protective nose coverings out of sponges which they rip from the ocean floor (thus modifying them, much to the horror of the sponge, if sponges were able to think).

The dolphins who use the nose coverings have been dubbed "spongers" by the humans studying them, and they use them (the nose coverings, not the humans) to protect their noses when foraging for food on the ocean floor so they don’t get stung by stonefish, etc.

Unlike canary songs, which are passed down through the male-line and is largely genetic, sponging behavior in dolphins appears to be passed down through the female line and seems not to be a genetically-determined behavior since most (even most females) don’t do it.

Only one male was observed using a sponge. Kruetzen noted that, as
adults, male and female dolphins have very different lifestyles.

Adult
males form small groups of two or three individuals that chase females
in reproductive condition, he explained. "I would think that they do
not have time to engage in such a time-consuming foraging activity as
adults, as they are busy herding females."

 
 
 

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Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

8 thoughts on “Enter The Spongers”

  2. What do you mean, “IF sponges were able to think”? IF? IF? I regard that as flagrant an example of specieism as I’ve ever seen, Mr. Akin. You should be ashamed of yourself. Next you’ll be telling us that our vertebrate brothers and sisters are incapable of FEELINGS. Cancel my blog subscription, and refund my money.

  3. I remember reading years ago a story where a group of dolphins kept circling a freighter and then moving off in the same direction. After this happened a couple of times the captain decided to follow the dolphins. After a short trip they came along a group of dolphins caught in a cast off fishing net. They freed the dolphins from the net then went on their way. The dolphins followed the ship for a while then went their own way.
    It’s just a theory but I think they are very smart creatures but lack the ability to record information for future generations. It’s tough to write underwater with a flipper.

  5. Whew! that WAS close. Just missed that John Shelby Sponger whipping by.
    I guess the dolphins have to do something creative as their ranks are being decimated by US Naval Sonar tests (sorry, we found no relation there – no comment – national security).

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