By. Thilini
The internet daily updates you about unique friendships between different species of animals. And here is yet another one; mind you, this one will blow our mind, because, as it turns out, this relationship is between two species that live in the ocean.
Like the tiger, bear, and lion who were the best of friends, this friendship too is one of a kind.
And the most interesting part is, this is an incident where one animal adopts the other, treating it as its own offspring! This is a first-of-its-kind case for humans.
Image/Video Credit & More Info; Nat Geo WILD/youtube
A bottlenose dolphin is the momma who adopted a baby. And, as it turns out, the one who got adopted is an unusual-looking male calf.
In 2014, researchers spotted a bottlenose mother caring for an unusual-looking male calf. This was on line with what was presumed to be her biological calf and this happened in the coastal waters off the lovely and breath-taking French Polynesia.
Usually, bottlenose dolphins have slender beaks. However, the mysterious calf who is one month old ahs a beak that was short and blunt.
Eventually, scientists were able to identify the orphan who was adopted as a melon-headed whale. The melon-headed whale is an entirely different species and genus of dolphins.
The baby whale is even spotted behaving like a dolphin or rather performing dolphin behavior now. It is as if it is being defined by the species it hangs out with, the company it keeps.
Unlike among humans, adoption is very uncommon and rare among wild animals. If at all, it occurs the most between related members belonging to the same species.
The only other scientifically documented case that resembles this particular one involves an adopted orphan and a different genus was back in 2006. In fact, the University of Sao Paulo primatologist Patricia Izar observed a group of capuchins taking care of a baby marmoset: “at the time, we were really really astonished,” she said.
Scientists are particularly intrigued by adoption in the animal world. And the reason you ask? It is because adoption is considered a uniquely human behavior.
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