Just like humans, a dolphins face cant help but give away when its having a good time.
Much of that sociability is expressed in the play that they routinely engage in.
Of the 1,288 open mouth events they recorded, 92% occurred during paired dolphin sessions.
One of the “smiling” dolphins recorded by the researchers.© Veronica Maglieri, Federica Vantaggio, Elisabetta Palagi, Livio Favaro
Most (89%) also happened when the dolphins were clearly able to see one another.
The teams findings werepublishedWednesday in the journaliScience.
This discovery sheds new light on how dolphins use subtle facial cues during social play.
Dolphin communication is plenty varied.
These vocal gestures are especially important when the animals are traveling through murky water.
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