Watch adorable video of dolphin ‘playing’ with fish off Florida coast. ‘Never seen this’
As a kid, many were told not to play with their food.
But for a dolphin, that is all part of the fun.
In an adorable video captured off the coast of Florida, a dolphin was spotted “playing” around with a little fish.
“I have never seen this in my life,” a woman says in the video shared by TheDailyGator on Tiktok. “Holy cow! Look what I’m seeing right now.”
The dolphin and the fish seem to be engaging in a game of tag as the dolphin rolls around, grabbing at the fish but not taking a bite.
The fish joins in the playfulness by swimming toward the dolphin repeatedly, the video shows.
While the behavior is seen as playful, it doesn’t mean the fish wasn’t about to become the dolphin’s dinner.
Dolphins, as well as their much larger orca cousins, have been known to “play” with their food before guzzling down the slippery fish, according to a 2017 study published in Marine Mammal Science.
In a video shared in 2017, videographer Richard Kern captured a dolphin in Florida Bay tossing around a tarpon, Earth Touch News reported.
Before that, the same behavior was filmed by a South Carolina resident in 2013 and shared on Youtube.
“They played with the fish until playtime transitioned to meal time,” the video’s caption said.
“People wonder if they are ‘playing’ with the fish,” Whale and Dolphin Conservation field officer Charlie Phillips told Earth Touch News. “Dolphins need to feel that the fish they are trying to swallow fit properly and comfortably down the throat without hindrance or obstacles. Otherwise the fish could become jammed or lodged.”
Whether the dolphin was taking a fish measurement or just having a little fun before supper, seeing the interaction was a special moment for the Clearwater videographer.
“One of the biggest perks to living in Florida for us is the amazing wildlife you can see right out your back door sometimes!!” TheDailyGator commented on TikTok.
This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Watch adorable video of dolphin ‘playing’ with fish off Florida coast. ‘Never seen this’."
