Dolphins wait in queue for rubbing their skin against corals for mucus as self medication

Amazing stuff!

"Thirteen years ago, a scientist named Angela Ziltener and her team were studying bottlenose dolphins dwelling in the Northern Red Sea region when they noticed those creatures rubbing their skin against corals. This type of behavior hadn’t been recorded before, and Ziltener also discovered that the dolphins were very selective about the type of coral they treated their skin with.
This behavior seemed to be methodical and there seemed to be a reason for it — but it wasn’t clear what this reason was. To investigate this unique animal behavior further, the researcher decided to collect more data about the interaction between dolphins and coral polyps. It took more than a decade to analyze and sum up their findings, but finally, they’re here. ..."

"Chimpanzees have learned to eat plants that kill or remove parasitic worms. Wood ants ward off pathogens by incorporating resin into their nests. Various bird species in Mexico City integrate cigarette butts into their nests to prevent tick infestations. Capuchin monkeys bite millipedes and rub the toxins they produce into their fur, keeping mosquitoes away. ..."

From the abstract:

"Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins ... have been observed queueing up in natural environments to rub particular body parts against selected corals ... and sponges ... in the Egyptian Northern Red Sea. It was hypothesized that the presence of bioactive metabolites accounts for this selective rubbing behavior. The three invertebrates preferentially accessed by the dolphins, collected and analyzed by hyphenated high-performance thin-layer chromatography contained seventeen active metabolites, providing evidence of potential self-medication. Repeated rubbing allows these active metabolites to come into contact with the skin of the dolphins, which in turn could help them achieve skin homeostasis and be useful for prophylaxis or auxiliary treatment against microbial infections. ... calls for further vertebrate-invertebrate interaction studies."

Dolphins wait in queue for rubbing their skin against corals These lovable and intelligent animals keep on surprising us with their complex behavior.

Study Suggests Dolphins Use Coral Mucus as Medicine Researchers observe that dolphins in a pod in the Red Sea regularly rub against certain corals and sponges, perhaps to sooth their skin by prompting the invertebrates to release mucus that contains antimicrobial compounds.

Evidence that Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins self-medicate with invertebrates in coral reefs (open access)