Superb film has been obtained of dolphins stealing bait from crab traps and escaping to tell the tale to their fellow pod members in what may be a unique behavior caught on film for the first time. Moreover, when crab fishers tried to make the traps dolphin-proof, their first efforts didn't succeed for long. It wouldn't be fair to call it an arm's race when only one side has any, but it certainly seems the dolphins are up for the challenge of solving problems humans put between them and a meal that can't swim away.
The city of Bunbury in Western Australia is famous for its dolphin-human interactions, attracting many tourists as a result, although fears of disease transmission have forced some restrictions. It also has a lot of crab fishers, who noticed a few years ago their baits were going missing from their traps, with no crab to show for it.
Axel Grossman, a volunteer at the Dolphin Discovery Center, took advantage of the stunningly clear water to place underwater cameras that revealed that, rather than crabs having worked out how to steal the bait without being caught, the culprits were dolphins. While beaks are less suited to springing traps than pincers, it seems brains are more important still. This is a significant achievement. Crab traps are used in many parts of the world, but nowhere else are dolphins known to have worked out how to break into the crab trap and reach the bait with beaks alone.
Even more astonishing news was in store. When the crab-catchers...
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