Dolphins, particularly bottlenose dolphins, have shown the ability to use a social “smile” to invite other dolphins to play, according to a new study published in the journal iScience that sheds light on the complex social interactions of these intelligent marine mammals.
It is noted that biologists from the University of Pisa (Italy) have discovered that bottlenose dolphins use facial expressions similar to a smile to show others their desire to play together for a bit.
Dolphins love to play, jumping out of the water, riding the waves, playing with objects in the water, chasing each other, and pretending to fight. An invitation to these games can be an open mouth, which scientists believe is analogous to a human smile. Other members of the group often respond with similar “facial expressions.”.
We have discovered the presence of an expressive facial expression, an open mouth, in bottlenose dolphins, and we have shown that dolphins are also capable of mirroring the facial expressions of others. Open mouth signals and rapid facial expressions appear repeatedly in the mammalian family tree, suggesting that visual communication has played a crucial role in shaping complex social interactions not only in dolphins but in many species,
Scientists also discovered an interesting pattern. Although dolphins readily interact with humans, they only used the “smile” when communicating with each other, not with humans. When a dolphin is alone, it also does not “smile.”.
The researchers recorded 1,288 “smiles” when the dolphins played together, and only one when the dolphin played alone.
The open-mouth gesture likely evolved from biting, breaking the bite sequence to leave only the “intention to bite” without contact. The relaxed open mouth, seen in social carnivores, the playful faces of apes, and even human laughter, is a universal sign of playfulness, helping animals – and us – to show fun and avoid conflict
