Scientists have documented an unusual behavior among the Dolphins of the Amazon Rio (Inia Geoffrensis), commonly known as Botos. Some male specimens, in fact, have been observed while they sprayed jets of urine in the aira practice that has aroused curiosity and questions in the scientific community.
A team of researchers, led by Claryana Araújo-Wang, dedicated Over 218 hours to observation of these animals and recorded 36 episodes of what has been called “aerial urination“. During this action, a male dolphin It slowly turns on the backexposes the penis and releases a flow of urine that projected above the surface of the water. An even more interesting aspect is that Often another male approachesfollowing the urine jet with the rostrum, almost as if it were attracted to it.
Although the reason for this behavior is not yet clear, scholars hypothesize that it may have a social or sexual function. Many animals they use urine to communicate: The lions and wolves use it to mark the territory, while some crustaceans and rodents employ it to report the availability to mating. In Botos, it could be a way to establish a hierarchy between males or to communicate one’s health and social position.
Water pollution could alter these communications
In mammals, chemical communication is fundamental, but dolphins are distinguished by the loss of the sense of smell during evolution. For this reason, they rely on the taste to recognize chemical signals. Previous studies on tursiopi (Tursiops Truncatus) have shown that these cetaceans can identify other individuals through the flavor of urinesuggesting that Botos could also use a similar strategy. However, without controlled experiments, it is difficult to establish with certainty whether aerial urination really has a communicative function or if it is simply playful behavior.
In addition to the behavioral aspect, this discovery could have implications for the conservation of the species. If dolphins use chemical signals to interact, Water pollution could alter these essential communicationsputting their survival and reproduction at risk. Better to better understand the role of chemistry in the social life of Botos could help protect these fascinating inhabitants of the Amazon Rio.
