Killing 3 people in 33 years, the smile of a dolphin? It's the worst scam in the world
Dolphin Smile
Dolphins are perhaps the most bizarre animals in the ocean. They swim gracefully in the water, leaping up and out of the water like A crescent moon. The image of dolphins actually plays a lot of roles in human culture. For example, in Greek mythology, dolphins are always regarded as human assistants. Even today, dolphins are considered sea spirits and saviors of the drowning. Maybe they just save those who fall into the sea out of curiosity and playfulness. But the fact that dolphins have such a high reputation today is probably due to the emergence of dolphinariums. After the rise of dolphins in the 1960s, aquariums have been gradually established all over the world, and there are more special dolphinariums for the public to visit and appreciate. Dolphins became famous thanks to dolphinariums. These small cetaceans are often kept in various theme parks, such as the most common bottlenose dolphin. Of all the captive dolphins, bottlenose dolphins are perhaps the most relatable. This is because they are easier to train, generally live longer, and they are also more friendly in appearance. The most common bottlenose dolphin One of the most conspicuous features of the bottlenose dolphin is its charming smile, like the Renaissance Mona Lisa, whether adults or children, these cute little guys are in the aquarium. The performance is very relaxing. The affinity of dolphins is also reflected in their extremely friendly attitude towards people, which is now mostly believed to be related to the intelligence of dolphins, which are one of the few mammals that can identify themselves. It is reported that the intelligence of dolphins is comparable to that of human children, which is not difficult to explain why they are not only not afraid of humans, but also show strong curiosity. A dolphin with a closed mouth appears to be smiling, but even a gentle animal like a dolphin can pose a threat. As a small toothed whale, the dolphin's teeth can also be lethal to humans. While lethal attacks on humans by dolphins are extremely rare, three people have died from dolphin anger in the past 33 years. According to related reports, there was a dolphin attack in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1994. A local man died after being violently hit by a dolphin while interacting with a dolphin. Or killer whales under the dolphin family, there was a killer whale attack in the Iceland Aquarium in 1983. At that time, the staff in the aquarium accidentally fell into the pool of the killer whale Tilikum. Generally speaking, killer whales will not attack humans. In memory of the killer whale Tilikum, but the killer whale seemed to have encountered an enemy whom he had not seen for many years, and finally dragged the breeder into the water and drowned alive. The drowning of the breeder was initially thought to be an accident, but a similar incident occurred in 2010, and the process was even more brutal. Tilikum not only dragged the keepers into the water, but also tore them apart. But the performance of dolphins can bring a lot of money to the aquarium, and it takes a lot of time to train a dolphin, so the killer whale has survived. Tilikum once brought joy Dolphin pain
Tilikum is perhaps the most well-known animal star in the dolphin family, despite facing the Lots of feeding issues, but the staff still keeps it working. Eventually, in 2017, Tilikum died of a bacterial infection. There must be no coincidence behind the dolphins hurting people. After many studies and analysis, zoologists discovered that they should live freely in the sea, not in a dungeon-like aquarium. The smile of dolphins is often regarded as a major attraction in various aquariums. After they perform various acrobatics, they always smile happily at the camera. In fact, this is an illusion. Bottlenose Dolphins' Mouths Are Like This The dolphins' smiles come entirely from their physiology, because they look that way. And their high interaction with humans is also an unnatural behavior, not so much human-friendly as it is wishful thinking. Dolphins are actually very intelligent social mammals. Dolphins' intelligence comes from the spindle neurons in their brains, which are only found in primitive humans. In the human body structure, spindle neurons are involved in social behavior, emotion, judgment, and theory of mind. Scientists studying cetaceans have found that their spindle neurons have regions of existence similar to those in the human brain. Neuronal structures unique to advanced animals In animal brain studies, long-term analysis has shown that mammalian brain size accounts for a large proportion of the body. In addition to humans, killer whales have the second brain mass on earth, far higher than other animals, second only to sperm whales. As mentioned earlier, some scientists believe that self-awareness is a sign of a highly developed abstract mind. Dolphins are one of the few animals that can pass the mirror test. Although this concept is not clearly defined in the scientific community, it is a typical theory of human self-knowledge. Several studies have shown that cetaceans are the rare animals that can pass the mirror test. The claim that dolphins save humans also comes from their social structure. As a highly social animal, dolphins usually live in groups of a dozen dolphins. Although group size and structure vary by location and species, where food is abundant, two groups can merge to develop into larger groups, such as where dolphin groups of more than 1,000 dolphins have been found. Since the material resources in the dolphin group are not fixed, some members will get more food, and some members may be unable to hunt due to injury or illness. At this time, healthy dolphins will help vulnerable groups whenever they need it, such as bringing sick companions to the surface who cannot breathe effectively. The altruistic behavior of dolphins looking out for each other is not limited to the dolphins themselves, so a person who drowns at sea may attract the dolphin's attention and be helped by the dolphin's altruistic sociality. They even drive sharks around swimmers to keep divers safe. Dolphins are keen marine "fish people" but wild dolphins are still somewhat threatening, and while they don't show aggression towards people, in some cases they can cause manslaughter for fun. At present, zoologists have not been able to provide an effective explanation for this behavior of dolphins. The only reasonable speculation is that dolphins have strong mating desires and competition for food resources. Behind the Smile
But back at the aquarium, everything changes, the dolphin's personality changes dramatically, and behind all this is the harm caused by humans. Anyone who has watched the film "The Bay" should know that cetaceans are being persecuted by humans today. Inspiring film, the bays are particularly acute in Japan, calling for their protection and advocating that Japan's fishing practices need to change. There is also public awareness about the risk of mercury poisoning from eating dolphin meat. Earlier we took a closer look at the abilities displayed by dolphins, and captivity can seriously affect their mental health. Imagine if people were locked in a room all day, except for eating and sleeping, the rest would be endless performances and do whatever they like. The psychological damage to dolphins caused by mandatory training is almost irreversible, and the environment of the aquarium is not comparable to the natural ocean. Without a wide swimming space, dolphins at rest often exhibit mechanical repetitive behaviors, such as repeatedly swimming in a space and repeatedly hitting walls or glass. Dolphin trainers can help them ease their pain. As a social creature, being out of the group can also make them more lonely, causing their physical and mental health to deteriorate. Dolphin attacks are the result of this morbid breeding environment, and in fact there are many dolphins in aquariums around the world suffering from mental health problems. Lori Marino, an American dolphin expert and behavioral neuroscientist, said that when dolphins realize they are individuals, it makes them feel abandoned and try to commit suicide. In addition, this low psychological state can also affect their immune system, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to infection. Behind the smile is endless pain. It is worth mentioning that the natural environment in which dolphins live is the ocean, and the artificial environment is usually disinfected with chlorinating agents for disinfection and sterilization. This chemically toxic substance can irritate their eyes and skin, and some dolphins even have skin shedding due to long-term exposure to chlorinating agents. Too high levels of chlorine make them unable to open their eyes. In the aquarium, dolphins smile and work hard to bring joy to people, but no one knows what they are going through. In the end, they choose to die, or return their anger to humans. The smile of dolphins may be the most cruel deception in the world.