Bottlenose dolphins use their snouts and tails to toss jellyfish into the air, playing with it like a ball.
Dafydd Lewis, a resident of the coastal town of New Quay, shared a video of a “game” involving a bottlenose dolphin pod in Cardigan Bay, England, on January 24. The “ball” in their play was a barrel jellyfish.
Lewis noted that he observed the dolphins in a playful mood and decided to film the video. “The dolphins swam alongside the boat for about 1.6 kilometers. The next moment, one dolphin used its snout to toss the barrel jellyfish out of the water, while another used its tail,” Lewis recounted.
“Barrel jellyfish weigh an average of about 32 kg. They arrive in Cardigan Bay in groups during the spring to summer months. We often see behaviors like those in the video when the dolphins are in a happy state. I have even seen them come up out of the water and balance jellyfish on their heads,” he shared.
A dolphin uses its snout to toss a barrel jellyfish out of the water.
New Quay is one of the best places in England to observe bottlenose dolphins, according to Lewis. The dolphins in Cardigan Bay are larger than those found in Florida or Mexico. They need to build up a lot of fat to stay warm during the winter months and in the chilly waters of Cardigan Bay.
“Over the years, I have witnessed some spectacular sights and I am still excited to see dolphins. I am always amazed by their performances and never get bored. Watching them in the wild is a truly wonderful experience compared to observing them in captivity. They are very sociable creatures, often coming close to boats and swimming alongside us,” Lewis said.
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals belonging to the genus Tursiops. They are found in most tropical and temperate warm seas, adapting to a variety of marine and estuarine habitats. Their primary diet consists of various fish, as well as squid, shrimp, and other mollusks.
