Dolphins: Cute and Friendly or Rapists and Murderers?

Considered the third most intelligent animals in the world, after humans and chimpanzees, dolphins have long been praised by scientific communities for their superior cognitive abilities. They have been shown to utilize intricate patterns of communication, develop distinct personalities, recognize themselves in a mirror, and perform complicated tricks. The U.S. Navy has even trained them for the use of rescuing lost naval swimmers and locating underwater mines and purportedly, carrying toxic dart guns. Upon learning all of this I had to ask myself what else can they do? Although “extremely high cognitive abilities” may sound positive upon initial mention, further thought leads to the consideration of darker implications; further research proves these implications to be true.

Marine experts are calling it “porpicide”: dophins off the coast of California have been observed and videotaped ganging up on porpoises, ramming them underwater, and drowning them for no apparent reason other than sadism. Ironically, identical injuries have been observed on dead dolphins that have recently washed up on shore.

So, yes, now you know that dolphins can be murderers – but did you also know they could be rapists?  In 2003, an incident occurred involving three male dolphins chasing a female dolphin and forcibly taking her out to sea with them where they then proceeded to take turns violating her. This is not an isolated incident. In the late 1980’s researchers in Shark Bay, Western Australia, recorded abductions of female bottlenose dolphins by male bottlenoses, usually in groups of three, for the specific purpose of forcing copulation on them. Dr. Richard Connor, a marine biologist studying dolphins in Western Australia, has also documented cases of male kidnappers and holding females captive, sometimes for months at a time.

This can come as no suprise. If dolphins are really supposed to be nearly as smart as man, then they must possess almost all of human intelligence: both the good and bad. Needless to say, I will be sticking with the pool this summer.