Play helps many young animals, including dolphins, develop skills that will help them become successful adults.
Dolphin calves play-fight, play-mate, and explore their environments with those around them. They even learn to hunt by blowing air bubbles and then swimming up to catch them!
They learn to toss and catch with their mouths and use their tail flukes to steer items. In the wild, some of their favorite toys are sponges and kelp.
Aquarium Play
At the Aquarium, animal enrichment is an integral part of providing care. Trainers and volunteers make special objects and toys for the dolphins – and many other animals – to keep their environment stimulating.
As you can imagine, 300 pound two year olds can be very rough on their toys!
“We try to give a balance of floating versus sinking objects so the dolphins can play on the surface or underwater,” explains Sue Hunter, the Aquarium’s manager of animal programs.
Each of the dolphins seems to have a favorite toy. Cobie is most intrigued by a hula-hoop. Bob spends a fair amount of time playing with an orange traffic cone.
Of course, the dolphins are very creative themselves, and they can invent their own games with or without toys. A popular pastime is a version of “King of the Hill” with one dolphin coming out of the water onto a platform, only to be pushed off by another, who is pushed off by another, and so on. It’s a lot of fun to watch.
Worlds to Explore
Nothing in nature is static, and neither are the Aquarium’s exhibits. Environmental enrichment provides variety in the surroundings of the Aquarium’s animals.
Dolphins, which are exceptionally curious, learn new things by exploring.
Recently, Aquarium staff members simulated an artificial kelp forest for dolphins to swim through. The forest is built out of car wash strips and PVC pipes.
The pipes sink to the bottom of the dolphin pool, allowing the strips to float and simulate kelp. Shadow is especially fond of this new toy.
Play at Home
Animals, including humans, need to play, exercise, and be creative every day. Pets are wonderful companions, and you probably engage in a lot of enrichment activities over the normal course of a day.
The document at right outlines additional activities that can benefit your favorite animal.
