In the first photographed example of friendliness between them, humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins were seen off the coasts of Hawaii playing with each other, according to a January report by the American Museum of Natural History.
They have little reason for politeness other than a shared living space, but in two separate instances, scientists say, dolphins hitched a ride on the heads of whales, then slid down like a sea-bound playground.
The whales lifted the dolphins up and out of the water, then calmly let them ride back down.
The peer-reviewed science journal Aquatic Mammals reported a similar finding in 2010, also from Hawaiian waters.
A science bulletin released this month by the American Museum
of Natural History said the inter-species interaction showed no “signs of aggression or distress.”
“Whales and dolphins in Hawaiian waters often interact, but playful social activity such as this is extremely rare between species,” the report said.
The American Museum of Natural History said it was the first recorded example of the dolphin-whale behavior.
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