There is a belief that human bonds are formed through common interests, but it seems that this also applies for dolphins. A study conducted on the bottlenose dolphins residing in Shark Bay (an Australian World Heritage Site) revealed that male dolphins spend time with their fellows that share the same interests as them:
The researchers analysed the behaviour of 37 male dolphins – 13 ‘spongers’ and 24 ‘non-spongers’ – in Shark Bay over nine years from 2007 to 2015.
The male spongers spent significantly more time with other spongers, and this was nothing to do with whether they were related. In other words, it was their common interest that brought them together.
Foraging with a sponge was long thought incompatible with the needs of male dolphins in Shark Bay – i.e. to invest time in forming close alliances with other males,” said Dr Simon Allen, co-author of the study and biologist at the University of Bristol. “This study suggests that, like their female counterparts and indeed like humans, male dolphins form social bonds based on shared interests.”
It looks like dolphins of the same interests, pod together!
image credit: Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith via wikimedia commons