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Africa: Bottlenose Dolphins Smile At Each Other When They Play – New Study Reveals How and Why

Published

4 weeks ago

December 19, 2024

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Dolphins have an irresistible charm for people. They are extremely playful at all ages and often play alone, surfing the waves, leaping into the air, performing flips and striking the water with their tail flukes.
They also play with whatever they find in the ocean – sponges, corals, sticks, plastic bags and floating buoys.
Their play is also social. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), which live in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, including the African coasts, play with other dolphins in the first weeks of life. The mother is the first playmate and then the dolphin calf expands its social network. This species of dolphin offers an ideal model to study how animals communicate through play.
When we humans see facial expressions like relaxed, open mouths, our faces automatically mimic them within milliseconds. This is called rapid facial mimicry. It’s a reflex, kicking in without us even thinking about it. In humans and many other animals too, rapid facial mimicry helps synchronise movements during play.
Read more: How insight into southern Africa’s dolphins is being deepened
Until now, the role of facial communication in managing playful encounters between dolphins remained a mystery. In our research, we uncovered the presence of a distinct facial display, the open mouth, in bottlenose dolphins. This expression is most commonly observed during playful interactions with other dolphins, especially when the sender is within the receiver’s line of sight.
Our discovery sheds new light on how dolphins use subtle facial cues during social play.
Sophisticated communication
Dolphins rely heavily on visual cues to navigate their social and physical worlds. But their limited facial muscle movements make studying their expressions quite challenging.
However, dolphins’ playful social behaviour and the way they direct signals to each other’s visual field is similar to what other mammals do. This suggested to us that dolphins might be using facial expressions to convey information.
Certain environments favour specific ways to pass on messages. Dolphins communicate through one of the most intricate vocal systems in the animal world. They use high-pitched whistles to recognise each other and to interact socially. This probably evolved because they live in murky waters where visibility is low, forcing them to rely on sound. However, sound can also expose them to predators or eavesdroppers.
We also already knew that when they are in clear water, or when dolphins are close to each other, they can shift to visual communication. We surmised that this would make facial expressions crucial for quick, two-way exchanges.
When dolphins play together, a mix of whistling and visual cues helps them cooperate and achieve goals. This strategy is particularly useful during social play when they’re less on guard for predators.
Prior research had shown that when dolphins communicate with other species, they are very interested in whether their audience is paying attention. This suggested that they are aware of their receiver’s focus and adjust their behaviour accordingly. It highlighted their sophisticated communication abilities beyond just vocal signals.
What almost 1,300 dolphin smiles told us
We filmed 22 captive dolphins for 80 hours over 60 days. During this time, they held 837 free play sessions. During these play sessions, the dolphins performed acrobatics on their own, and also played with humans, and also with other species and other dolphins.
We recorded a total of 1,288 open mouth events or dolphin smiles.
Studying dolphin visual communication in controlled settings allowed us to capture insights into their subtle interactions. However, our study was also limited because the dolphins we studied were not free.
Future research could be carried out in wild dolphins. This would need the use of artificial intelligence, observing the way dolphins look at each other (eye-tracking), and ultrasonic recordings. This would improve our understanding of multimodal communication and differences between dolphins playing with each other and playing with other species.
New finding: dolphins copy each other’s smiles
We were surprised to realise that dolphins not only use open mouth expressions while playing, but that they are able to mirror the facial expressions of others.
The discovery of rapid facial mimicry in dolphins is one of the standout findings from this study. Nobody knew that this mimicry was present in dolphins.
We investigated whether the dolphins were merely mimicking each other’s open-mouth expressions by chance, given they’re often involved in the same activity or context.
But we found that the probability of mimicking another dolphin’s open mouth within one second was 13 times higher when the receiver dolphin saw the original expression. The animals increased their open mouth display mostly after perceiving others doing the same.
This rate of mimicry in dolphins has been observed in certain carnivores, such as meerkats and sun bears.
We also looked into the question of whether open mouth displays by dolphins were preparations for biting instead of a signal. However, in over a third of cases (33.16%), these dolphin smiles triggered a similar open mouth response from the receiver.
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In the other 66.84% of cases the receiver did not smile back and the initiating dolphin didn’t bite its playmate. This suggests that the behaviour may have evolved from a bite-prevention strategy into a form of communication, where the original function has been transformed into a social signal.
Cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are closely related to artiodactyls — a group of mammals that includes deer, camels, boars and hippos. These land-dwelling relatives haven’t been widely studied for play communication. But exploring these connections could provide insights into how communication evolved.
We are still unravelling the evolutionary origins of play and how animals fine-tune their playful behaviours. But one thing is clear: open-mouth signals and rapid mimicry appear repeatedly across the mammal family tree.
This suggests that visual communication has played a crucial role in shaping complex social interactions, not only in dolphins but in many species over time.
Elisabetta Palagi, Professor, University of Pisa
This article is republished from The Conversation Africa under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Africa: Will Kenyans Be Allowed Free Entry At CHAN?

Published

18 minutes ago

January 14, 2025

An24 Africa

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Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya remains non-committed on whether fans will be allowed free entry for next month’s African Nations Championships (CHAN).
The CS says they will explore the option and provide a definitive answer by the end of the week.
“On the issue of the payment fee and how the fans will be treated, that is part of the issue that will be discussed by the teams here. We will be giving you a briefing before the end of the week on all those matters,” Mvurya said.
Kenya is set to co-host the continental tournament — featuring players who ply their trade in local leagues — from February 1-28.
Next-door neighbours Uganda and Tanzania are the other co-hosts.
Free entry or not, Mvurya called on the fourth estate to keep spreading the ‘gospel of CHAN’ and entice as many Kenyans as possible to mark their calendars.
“Part of what I have asked the media to work with us is a sensitisation programme, which will be running through for Kenyans so they can appreciate that we have been given an opportunity of a lifetime to ensure we profile our talents, position our country as a tourism destination and enhance investments into different sectors,” he said.
The CS expects Nairobi to be a beehive of activity as tens of thousands of fans from other countries throng the city to partake of their beloved sport.
Preparations on point
Even as the CS called a presser to ramp up excitement for the competition, questions still linger regarding how far the designated venues are from completion.
Mvurya expects all works at the Nyayo Stadium as well as Kasarani to be completed by the end of the week.
“If you look at Nyayo, the major thing left to do is to erect the floodlights…and they have already put the poles in place. In the next two or three days, I expect that they will be done. The other major thing is general cleanliness in and around the stadium. I am satisfied that we are on course and I am confident that Nyayo will be ready by Wednesday,” he said.
The CS added: “At Kasarani, work is also progressing well and by Wednesday I believe it will be complete because they are working round the clock. What is remaining is the installation of the floodlights…around 57 of them…and the laying of the grass, which is going on well. There should be no worries about the readiness of any pitch…all of them will be fit for use as we had planned from the beginning.”
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The draw for the competition is set for Wednesday (January 15) at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
It is during the same event that other details, such as venue of the opening match and final, will be known.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
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AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
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Africa: Senegal Coach Diallo – 'We Are Not Overwhelmed By the Pressure of Champions'

Published

1 hour ago

January 13, 2025

An24 Africa

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Successor to Pape Thiaw, the man who led Senegal to the title of African champion at the TotalEnergies CHAN 2022 in Algeria, Souleymane Diallo now bears the responsibility of defending the continental crown.
A few weeks before the kick-off of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) to be played in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from 1-28 February, he shares his state of mind, his team’s preparations and the challenges of this new edition.
With a wealth of experience on the continental stage, Diallo is aware of the expectations placed on him and his squad, which is largely made up of new faces.
In this exclusive interview, he talks about the pressure of being the title holder and the strategic importance of the CHAN for domestic football. The challenge is immense, but Diallo approaches this competition with serenity and a plan, ready to write a new chapter in the history of Senegalese football.
CAFOnline: What is your state of mind a few weeks before the start of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship?
Souleymane Diallo: I have a very good state of mind overall. I think the boys are aware of what is at stake in this competition, but we must not put ourselves under pressure. For me, the most important thing is the first game. We will have to approach it with a very good state of mind, a very good mentality, but above all an African mentality which consists of being serene first and identifying the obstacles we need to tackle.
How are your preparations going?
Overall, very good. The program plan that we have drawn up is proceeding normally. Now, we are in our 14th week, more precisely, including the preparation phases for the qualifiers. From Monday (13 January), we will take the boys in closed groups. We will stay there until the start of the competition. We will have a training camp in a country bordering the three host countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania).
Senegal is the title holder. Does this add extra pressure?
No, no pressure! I am used to saying that. Pressure is important in all things. Most importantly, the source of the pressure must first be identified. If you identify the source of the pressure and you identify the nature of the pressure, for me, right now, there’s no more pressure, but there’s situational awareness. It’s true that Senegal is African champion, but don’t forget that the African champion squad is not the same squad as we have at the moment. We only have two survivors (Serigné Koita and Aboudoulaye Dieng). So, we will have to analyse strongly. Does Senegal come with its African champions or does Senegal come with the title of African champion? We have to point out the nuanced difference between these two. But what is most important, we will come to approach this competition in the best possible way, while not hiding our coat as African champions. On the contrary, this awareness of our African champion mantle pushes us to have a much more cautious approach, a much more serene approach.
Why is the CHAN an important competition in your eyes?
The CHAN is a very important competition. I usually tell journalists that. Already, the CHAN reflects the level of competition of the nation itself. Today, the characteristic of the CHAN is that it takes into account players playing in their local championship. Today, I tell my colleagues that we represent the championship itself, the Senegalese championship, because the CHAN will reflect the level of the Senegalese league. That’s why, for me, it’s a special competition, a very important competition.
You were the coach of the Senegalese team at the African Games. How has this pan-African, continental experience been useful to you and will it serve you well for the CHAN?
I think that today, I have a little African experience. This pan-African experience will serve as a support for us to be able to approach this competition. I have had the opportunity to do several African and world competitions. Three Junior World Cups, three Junior African Cups, two African Games. I think we will base ourselves on these experiences, on these African competitions, to be able to approach this competition in the most serene way possible.
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Apart from Senegal, which teams can lift the trophy?
Today, it will be very, very difficult to say about the teams. You will of course agree with me that in Africa, all the teams are improving. The teams are very, very, very rigorous, both in terms of the training approach, but also in terms of management, because sporting performance is made up of two essential parameters. There are external factors and internal factors. In Africa, people are starting to work, to take these two factors into account. Previously, we were limited to the internal factors of performance. Today, most African teams work on their environment. So it will be very difficult, bordering on suicidal, to want to predict the potential winners.
The TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship 2024 (CHAN) Plane is almost ready to take off. ✈️👀 pic.twitter.com/w7DwqMelUA— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) December 31, 2024
Read the original article on CAF.
Will Kenyans Be Allowed Free Entry At CHAN?
AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa – aggregating, producing and distributing 500 news and information items daily from over 110 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
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Govt Refutes Claims of Zambia’s Blacklisting from UN Human Rights Council

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2025

an24afri

4 Views

By Mary Kachepa

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed media reports suggesting that Zambia has been blacklisted from the United Nations Human Rights Council for alleged failure to uphold human rights standards. The Ministry clarified that the UN General Assembly has not considered nor adopted any resolution for the suspension or removal of Zambia from the Council because the country is currently not holding a seat at the Council.

Permanent Secretary in charge of International Relations and Cooperation, Etambuyu Gundersen, stated that Zambia intends to contest for a seat on the Council at the UN General Assembly elections in 2026 under the African States Region quota for SADC.

Ms. Gundersen told journalists at a media briefing hosted by the Ministry of Information and Media in Lusaka that the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression is expected in the country on January 19 at the invitation of the government.

She noted that Zambia was among the inaugural members to serve on the Human Rights Council when it was established from 2006 to 2008.

Ms. Gundersen explained that the Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body under the United Nations that comprises 47 member states elected by a majority vote of the UN General Assembly to serve for three years on a rotational basis. She further explained that countries are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

Ms. Gundersen described as false an article published by the Daily Nation Newspaper that the United Nations has sanctioned Zambia for rights violations. She advised that while freedom of expression is a constitutional right, it must be exercised within the limits and confines of the law.

The post Govt Refutes Claims of Zambia’s Blacklisting from UN Human Rights Council appeared first on ZNBC-Just for you.

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