We know dolphins as a rather smart species that have surprised humans at every turn. However, did you know they're smart enough to get high too?
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John Downer, an award-winning documentary filmmaker while shooting a series on dolphins for BBC One (from the year 2013) discovered that dolphins were actually playing and consuming a special kind of pufferfish in a rather strange way to cause it to release a toxin that would get them ¡®high¡¯.
Puffer fishes are known to contain tetrodotoxin which in small amounts can kill a human within minutes. However, for the dolphins, this toxin, according to experts, is known to create a narcotic effect when consumed in smaller amounts. It seems like dolphins have figured out how they can control the amount of toxin that¡¯s released.
The documentary showed the fish carefully chewing on the pufferfish and actually passing it among one another like a game of underwater volleyball, after which they appeared to be in a trance-like state.?
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This rather surprising side of the dolphins was captured using spy cameras that were hidden in fake turtles, fish and squid, resulting in 900-hour footage showcasing the dolphins in their natural ways.?
According to Downer (in a conversation with the Independent), the spy cameras were designed to ¡°infiltrate the dolphin¡¯s hidden lives¡± by looking like the marine creature they¡¯d come across every day.
Rob Pilley, a zoologist, who was also a part of the documentary, explained what the dolphins were actually doing, in a conversation with the Sunday Times, ¡°This was a case of young dolphins purposely experimenting with something we know to be intoxicating. After chewing the puffer gently and passing it around, they began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection.¡±
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He added, ¡°It reminded us of that craze a few years ago when people started licking toads to get a buzz, especially the way they hung there in a daze afterwards. It was the most extraordinary thing to see.
Watch the dolphins get high below