

Dolphins blowing bubble rings, and playing with them [video] - DaniFong
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1041454/dolphin_play_bubble_rings/

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DaniFong
I realize that this is hardly traditional HN fair, but watching amazed me. I
had no idea that bubble rings could exist, or that dolphins would play with
them like this.

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nebula
I'm more amazed by the fact that dolphins mastered the technique of creating
bubble rings. And if the description in this video is to be believed, they
also pass on this technique to other dolphins.

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a-priori
Individuals of many species are capable of copying the behaviour of another
individuals (usually of the same species) by observation. The other primates
are the most well-known mimics ("monkey see, monkey do"), but most mammals and
birds do this. We like to think we're special in this respect, but we're
really not.

Birds, for example, learn features of their songs from other songs they hear.
Over time, these features accumulate in a bird's repertoire, and even develop
into a dialect for an area. See
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_song#Learning>

Another example in birds is the behaviour of crows in Japan, who have learned
to crack nuts by leaving them in traffic at intersections, waiting for the
cross signal, then retrieving them. See
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0>

This is the first example I've heard of a "play" behaviour being learned, but
what can I say? The life of a captive dolphin would be boring; a new way to
pass the time would be a useful thing to know.

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mhb
Inventor's machines make bubble rings:

<http://www.deepocean.net/deepocean/index.php?science09.php>

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nebula
Amazing; For a moment, I thought it's a hoax. A quick googling has thrown up
all the details including the physics behind it though.

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Spyckie
could someone postulate on the physics of this? What causes them to remain
stable... I've never seen a bubble not float upward...

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kqr2
The physics of dolphin bubble rings and how to make them yourself:

<http://www.deepocean.net/deepocean/index.php?science09.php>

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critic
Wow! This is worth diving for!

