Scientists Shocked As Dolphins Play With Huge Anaconda In The Wild

Researchers in the Amazon rainforest witnessed an incredible scene in which a group of pink river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) played with an unusual partner - a massive anaconda.

In August 2021, experts from the Noel Kempff Mercado Museum of Natural History in Bolivia discovered the unbelievable sight, where a pod of Amazon River dolphins, known as botos, were observed interacting with a large anaconda in Bolivia's Tijamuchi River.

They published their findings in the journal Ecology last month, showing the interest of dolphins and what their actions exhibited.

This bizarre experience offered a unique glimpse into the playful-and sometimes perplexing-behaviours of these enigmatic animals. Although these findings are a boon to biologists, they also raise questions about what was actually happening below the water's surface.

According to biologist and team member Steffen Reichle, it was remarkable to observe botos with their heads above the water, and they began taking pictures.

Amazon river dolphins are generally vigilant and elusive, and they usually hide under the murky waters of the Amazon basin for most of the day. On this particular occasion, though, the researchers got interested in their abnormal behaviour since it kept coming up.

Closer examination revealed that the dolphins were not just coming to the surface to breathe; they were interacting with a giant anaconda.

Known as Eunectes beniensis, the Bolivian anaconda appeared to be a source of interest and entertainment for the dolphins, as per the Indian Defence Review.

Instead of acting violently or predatorily, the dolphins appeared to playfully interact with the snake, which contradicted established beliefs about how they would behave in the wild.

The dolphins appeared to be holding the anaconda in their mouths, swimming in unison in a startling show. This amusing encounter deviates from the usual predator-prey dynamics, challenging preconceptions about the behaviour of both species.

The researchers were taken aback by the sight and confirmed that the dolphins were not hunting or trying to hurt the snake. Rather, they were participating in what psychologists would subsequently refer to as "playful behaviour."

Omar Entiauspe-Neto, a taxonomist at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and one of the paper's authors, earlier said that "playing seems like a pretty good answer" given how active dolphins are.

However, behavioural ecologist Sonja Wild, who was not involved in the study, was not sure about the exchange.

Given the strength of anacondas, she questioned whether the snake was dead or injured before the dolphins attacked it. She remarked, "This seems a little extraordinary out of all the things one could pick up," per the New York Times.

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