Why marine biologists know dolphins are scarier than sharks 

So humans and dolphins have a lot in common.

I'll switch my allegiances, so to speak, when sharks start protecting us from dolphins.

Seen this infanticide feature in so many species. Walrus, lions, hyppopotamus….. and yes people.

As the child of two former surfers and someone who grew up in the ocean as well, both my parents taught me and my sister to be far more weary of dolphins than sharks. Sharks are truly a rare occurrence, or at least they were before we made the oceans toxic. They always told us to stay away from them for our own good, because even a happy playful dolphin is still like a 400 lb sea doggo, and they play rough. And they DO. And they ALWAYS roll with MORE dolphins 😅 I’ve spent more time in the water than on land and even tho I’ve never had a ‘bad experience’ with Dolphins, I know COUNTLESS other surfers/swimmers who have. Sharks get so much hate they don’t deserve….I’m tired of hearing myself say ‘the Ocean couldn’t exist without sharks!’ When the truth is, the oceans WILL NOT survive without them.

Well i think they all serve a great porpoise

"Gongratulations! You leveled up in intelligence. The ability "Assholeness" is now unlocked!" - Evilution

Can’t remember the last time people were being warned to get out of the water because of dolphin scares.

I used to live in a safe neighborhood...then the dolphins moved in.

WOW,who would have guessed that. Apparently the more intelligent the mammal species, the more violent potential there is towards the others.

I know the lady that was attacked off the coast of Ireland. I saw the dolphin myself just before the incident, as it was a major tourist attraction which brought a lot of revenue into the local area the early 2010s. She was swimming with "Fauna" close to the shore, when it put it's nose between her shoulders, and pushed her out and down into deep water. Being an experienced sea kayaker, she knew not to panic. When it released her, she surfaced close to a ball that the dolphin had been playing with. She began throwing the ball around, which distracted the dolphin long enough to make her escape. Soon after, Fauna left the area never to be seen again.

It’s clearly visible in the picture of the dolphin with the camera man that he wasn’t trying to hurt the camera man. He was trying to love on him.

The more intelligent an animal is, the more capable it is of killing out of enjoyment rather than necessity or survival instincts..

But cannibalism is not uncommon among sharks, in fact quite the opposite. Egg laying sharks like horn sharks are the principal predator of their own eggs, while many viviparous sharks lay their pups away from their main habitat as a mechanism to reduce cannibalism. And obviously there are the intrauterine cannibalism seen in many shark species, most famously with sand tigers. Shark mating behaviour is not exactly consentful either. Female sharks often carry horrendous mating scars, and they have to evolve extra thick skins to reduce the injury they sustain. While I agree that sharks are not coldblooded man-eaters, many species are still large predators with a well documented record of fatal unprovoked attack on humans - quite a bit more than dolphins. In the end, I think applying human morality to large wild predators like large shark species and dolphins are misguided, and we should treat all of them with respect.

Repeat slowly….. dolphins are wild animals. Wolves, bear, bison, elk, deer, elephants all wild animals. They aren’t pets.

Dolphins kill you for _fun._ Sharks kill you for food. The first one is, way, way, worse.

I have always told people “a shark will kill you, a dolphin plays with its food”

Came here from Shark Bytes and I already love your channel!

Great video! Subbed. I am a 36 year old Spanish/Kiwi conservationist. Just got back from four years and 4 months in Ecuador setting up new marine conservation projects on their Pacific coast (Southern Manabi province) and tropical rainforest conservation projects working respectfully and collaboratively with four indigenous tribes (Achuar, Shiwiar, Shuar and Waorani) in the Ecuadorian Amazon basin. That was in the Pastaza province... 3 million hectares - the same size as Belgium, biggest Ecuadorian province by land area and with the highest biodiversity and # of indigenous tribes. Full disclosure: I am a cetacean fan... love whales and Dolphins... but Orcas are my favourite. But I also loved learning about their dark side here and this video has genuinely made me more interested in and appreciate sharks more too... I had been having these recurring dreams for years of randomly encountering a pod of Dolphins swimming 50 metres off a beach... in excitement I immediately stripped down to my underwear (it was unexpected, so no bathing suit or "togs" as we call them in NZ) and literally SPRINT down the beach, dive into the water and then swim out to meet them. Dude... MY DREAM CAME TRUE one afternoon in July 2021!!! It happened with a small pod of five Bottlenose Dolphins 50 metres offshore at Puerto Lopez on Ecuador's Pacific coast. I saw them, got super excited, asked my local Ecuadorian friend I was with at the time to guard my bag and clothes and ran down the beach and swam out there. I quickly reached the pod... I have a very deep spiritual connection to animals however and am respectful of wild animals rights. I'm also very intuitive. So I got close but could feel to stop within about 7 metres of them and not "burst their bubble" out of respect. They sensed my respect and that I was curious but not harassing or chasing them. Consequently, they were relaxed and curious as a result and two swam closer to me, - within three metres - to investigate. It looked like three adults and two adolescents. I wish I could tell you I saw them underwater... but a) I had no googles and b) visibility was like one metre because the sea is so green in that bay with phytoplankton... But I heard them singing!! They swam around me checking me out with sonar for about a minute then slowly moved on. I did not follow them. I am proud of how I conducted myself in this encounter: if you love someone, you put them first. It's not about you. I love Dolphins, therefore I did swim out to connect with these five but I did not chase or harass them. Imagine if I did that to a group of five people!! How weird would that be!? If you are kind and respectful with wild Dolphins and respect their rights, you will almost never have any issues. By being respectful, I got to have a magical, life changing experience and they were not disturbed by me. Actually, they sensed my interest and respect and this allowed them to feel safe enough to investigate with curiosity. This particular population of Bottlenose Dolphins has declined massively in the past 50 years and is down to less than 200 today... I plan to work with and help them in the near future. They did something to me when they sang and buzzed me with sonar... after, when I got out of the water, I meditated on the beach and had a total ego collapse... feeling of oneness with all of life and an experience of utter bliss and ecstasy... lots of insights too... cannot explain it. You have to be a little careful as there are some dangerous psycho's even among wild animals but honestly, if you are respectful and kind to them 99.5% of the time you will not o ly have no problems but they will sometimes pick up on it and give you magical experiences like this one. I get frustrated when I see oblivious/ignorant tv presenters get way too close to wild Elephants, "burst their bubble" then act all shocked and "cool", like "hey I survived that!" When the frustrated, disrespected highly intelligent sentinent being finally charges because it is being harassed and disrespected. I have seen this a few times. Also, respectfully Telly, to be fair, there are HUNDREDS of documented stories of Dolphins SAVING THE LIVES of humans at sea. They're not all good but cetaceans and humans DO HAVE some special bond/connection. Orcas are the apex predator of global oceans yet look how this one acted when it came across a woman swimming off Northland in NZ: m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bTIcQMwYC1o.html&pp=ygUaV29tTiBzd2ltbWluZyB3aXRoIG9yY2Egbno%3D Also, my 2nd cousin Quinten dives professionally for a seafood company off NZ's coastline... He has had 6 metre long wild orcas swim up to within 2 metres of him just out of curiosity. They could rip him apart like a NZ fur seal!! But it's like there is an unspoken rule... "we do not attack or eat humans"... Try this with a wild Grizzly, Lion, Tiger or Taipan and see what happens 😳😬🥶 There's something going on here 🤔🧐😅

Great video. It really illustrates the significant influence of media and culture on our perceptions of animals. Sharks are often portrayed as menacing monsters, while dolphins are presented as our friendly companions. However, the reality is quite different. Nature is so much more complex.

Love your informative videos and so proud of what you have accomplished. Keep up the good work

Very interesting and thought provoking. Thank you.

Great vid as always. Thamks!

There's a fishing village in Japan that holds an annual dolphin slaughter, herding them into a small cove, capturing and slaughtering thousands. They've been at it for decades. So if Dolphins have been attacking humans on a Japanese beach, well... it's not hard to imagine why.

You may have some valid points as a biologist, but as an oceanographer, I disagree with much of what you state. Classically and historically, there are fewer attacks by Dolphins than there are by sharks, which are notoriously known for eating just about everything in sight. Dolphins do what nature dictates. Their behavior, to some extent, is dictated by their superior intelligence. In some instances, behaviors might be interpreted as playful. Although with ANY wildlife injuries can occur, but they don't eat people like sharks. To me, you are doing a disservice to malign them and their incredible species.

Wow, dolphins sound more like people all the time.

The reason why humans and dolphins are so messed up because both of them are cursed with too much knowledge

With that sort of behavior, this landlubber will call them Ducks of the Sea........

We stayed in an ocean side condo in HA for a week in 1996. The dolphins were standing on their tails the whole time.

I was chumming dolphins in the Indian River lagoon. I ran out of fish once and they tipped my kayak and beat the crap out of me. No one believed me.

what do you think of the japanese killing of dolphins

I grew up in the 60s, and “Flipper” was one of my favorite shows. We have a tendency to take sides with animals and distinguish between good and bad. Much of that depends on learned perceptions.

We tell people to be scared of sharks that are 90% harmless, but do we ever tell them of the real threat?

There goes the neighborhood.

About 40 years ago an animal behaviorist told me that if it has a mouth, it bites.

A clue to the attacks on porpoises may be that they apparently have been seen to precede infanticide, so the conclusion of one marine biologist who specialised in marine mammals was that they do it for practice. I've yet to see anything to contradict his theory. We usually only see a part of the behaviours - the part that occurs close to us, be it the infanticide, the attack on porpoises, or whatever. It is relatively rare for a pod to be followed intensively over a long enough period for a full analysis of their behaviour to be made. As for the attacks in Japan, you must be kidding about unprovoked, given the Japanese attitude to dolphins and mass murder of them. This is done by herding them into coves, keeping them there with strong nets and patrolling boats, and turning the water red with their blood as they exterminate every single one, from the elderly right down to infants. Distressed dolphins are often seen outside the nets swimming around and trying desperately to rescue those of their kind who have been trapped and are unsurprisingly screaming distress calls. The attacks in Japan are self-defence, and fully justified in a war that the Japanese have initiated. They have repeatedly tried to prevent any videography of those events and hide any that appear, but some are out there and it is gruesome and horrifying.

Killer whale is a misnomer because they're dolphins? That's a weird thing for a marine biologist to say.

Yay Telly posted🎉!!!!!!! Sending you good vibes from Ewa Beach Hawaii 🌺🌈☀️🌴🥥🐬🐬🐬🐬

The algorithm favoured you, first time seeing your content.

Once, when crossing the doldrums (south of Hawaii) with one mate on a 10-meter sailboat, we were making less than one knot. A pod of dolphins started interacting and since we were so slow and bored, I put on a mask and jumped in to hold onto our safety line, about 10 meters astern. The dolphins immediately started swimming in a line abreast of each other, below and ahead of me. I was puzzled that this went on for long enough for individuals to make many trips to the surface to breath. Then, I oddly went through a strange cloud of debris that was like dirt? I had not noticed the source because of the tunnel vision in a mask; but after awhile I watched as a dolphin swam in front of me and turned on its side and blew a cloud of shit that I could not avoid.. They shit on me, twice! Why would they have swum along with me, us, if they were not interested? They had no other reason for going so slow? It was like they were offended that the haole was in the water, instead of on the boat where I belonged. I got back on the boat, crushed. It did not help that I was not getting along with my boat mate. He was convinced that it was obviously me that was the asshole, even the dolphins could tell! I am a nice guy. Was this just a game, like adolescent boys play with farting on each other. Were they trying to play? Was I in danger? Is it possible that this pod, in the middle of the Pacific, had never seen a person in the water?

Thanks for the info but I paused it at the 10+ minute mark because I didn't want to know.....

Sounds like the potential for cruelty is just the unfortunate downside of intelligence.

Its that beguiling smile that has us duped! 💕 🐬 😄

Hello, my fellow South African. I enjoyed your video very much, thank you. It was interesting to hear your thoughts on the differences between sharks and dolphins. I had no idea. (^_^)

Damn! Flipper & Co have got some drama!

Ask Mote Marine about Sarasota Bay's dolphins.

The reality of this matter is that all wild animals are just that. They are wild animals. Interacting with them and feeding them can always be disruptive and instill problematic behaviours and expectations. They’re both beautiful wonderful animals, sharks and dolphins. But they are also both animals and must be respected and approached with caution and care if approached at all. Just like humans. Humans are far more dangerous and horrible than both sharks and dolphins. There have also been reports of altruistic behaviours among humans in which they save each other’s lives for seemingly no reason than it was “the right thing to do.” This contrasts with countless reports of seemingly unexpected and incalculable violence from humans against humans for countless reasons ranging from insignificant, to operating outside of reality, to self defence or even preventative measures. Violence among animals of all kinds, including humans, seems to be ubiquitous. But so are good things. Life is just this way. So have respect for the world and living beings around you. But, you know, not too much. 😄

Who would’ve known that wild animals are…. Well, act like WILD ANIMALS!

Not surprised at reports of dolphins attacks in Japan. Because just look at the dolphin kidnap and slaughter industry in Japan. Also in the Solomon Islands, the Faroe Islands, Peru. There's on e story of in the Faroe Islands, 1400 dolphins were hunted and killed in a single day.

Remember to always give a great white shark a big hug, from Telly. 🦈

I was rammed while skin diving. There were seals and dolphins around. Which was it?

nah, still prefer dolphins than a noah lurking about

3:20. - Did you say the Japanese cases were unprovoked attacks? can you imagine any reason why dolphins might attack humans in Japan? (Where do captive dolphins come from, anyway?)

How many dolphin on human attacks are there in history ?

TELLY'SMARINETALES: DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT FRILL SHARKS? Frill Sharks, to my eyes, look like dragons or Lochness-type of monsters. They move in the same way. They also live in the waters near Scotland. Also, Bull Sharks have been found inland waters in USA so maybe Frill Sharks can move the same way to inland waters. Just a question/thought.

Let's not forget the fact that several of the male dolphin did intercede to try to protect the mother and her calf, Unfortunately they were too late but this does show a protectiveness and sophistication you won't find in sharks.

Intelligent doesn’t equal nice.

1:30 Dolphins are actually just a sub-family within Cetacea, so the name "killer whale" isn't really a misnomer. Orcas are dolphins, but they're still whales.

Horrible seeing the atempted murder of the baby, but it is fascinating and beautiful seeing the teamwork of the others in the group while the mother came and tried to save it. The parallels between dolphins and humans are chilling. It really puts captive ones in an interesting light.

Oh no... My childhood dream gone. We would always have beluga whales thou. They are true angels of the sea, and can heal people

If Dolphins are so smart, why haven't they gotten the NET = DEATH equation yet?

At least they thank you for the fish!

Dolphins being aggressive around Japan makes a lot of sense.

Annnnd they commit All those crimes with a huge cute smile on their faces

To be fair to those dolphins in Japan, they’ve probably seen The Cove

Hmmm…I’m stranded in the ocean, and I see a shark coming at me, and I’m comforted?

How do they stack against penguins? Those are pretty terrible too

The natural world is wild and the case you're making can be applied across all living creatures...

And now I have scrolled down to the next story Dolphins.... Yup

Usually when animals attack humans, we were being stupid.

Well, this sure was eye-opening. I'm not a dolphin lover by any means, but I've witnessed them swimming next to a boat I was in for quite a long time at very high speed, so close I could have almost touched them, and that sure was a sight I won't forget. Also, as a kid, I've unfortunately been to a show with captive dolphins. Subscribed after watching the first few minutes. Looking forward to learning more about marine life.

Just a couple personal experiences. Kayak fishing with my sons around Grand Isle, La. One of my sons was aggressively chased out of a cove by a dolphin that did not want him fishing there. Have seen dolphins catch fish, then "play" catch between themselves with the poor fish till it died. Then threw the fish away if as it wasn't fun any more. Have observed male dolphins that are "ready, willing and able" to have sex with anything that moves in the water. May not be dangerous, but try explaining to kids.

Yep, always been afraid of smart living beings...

So that begs the question then, what would someone have to do if a dolphin is attacking them? Or is there not much hope of defending against them?

2:05

Flipper, tell me it ain't so. OK, I remember a simular warning about this in Panama during the 1970s.

I'll give you a tipp 6'ee. As u seem young. TV serie's. They called him FLIPPER, FLIPPER, faster than lightning, verree terrifying & frightning, Blip, Blip, BLEEEEEEEP, ZAH BOMB

A good question is how much of this is old and how much might be a recent trend indicating societal hardship, e.g. inflicted by human societal sickness expressing itself in the global environment.

Even more disturbing is the Orca. They've been known to act playfully for seals on the beach in hopes of luring one out for the kill. They have been known to hunt down and kill other aquatic mammals - dolphins, seals, sea otters, and sometimes even whales. Humans are also mammals, so it's a bit of a mystery why killer whales leave them alone.

Interesting that orcas are statistically safer than dolphins then.

nothing of the "bad" things about dolphins said in this video does not appear in human culture. I am however unsure, if we can/should project human morality onto the behavior of dolphins.

Although the reason for an attack is in many ways irrelevant to the human victim of a shark or a dolphin--in two principle ways it is not. First as you allude to in the video a shark is acting purely motivated by hunger, whereas a dolphin can attack for a host of reasons, none of which is inspired by hunger. But there is a second reason why a dolphin attack, especially an unprovoked one, is more egregious than a shark attack. Because a dolphin has a much larger brain than a shark. It therefore can be assumed the dolphin is much more aware of what it is doing, and why it is doing it. And so like a human commiting a crime, it is more culpable for it's actions, than the more basic and instinctual actions of a shark.

So dolphins are the Australians of the sea?

while on diving expedicion in Beliz, swam with wild dolphins several times - no problems. They were very curiouse, and friendly. From the other hand, In Pacific - got cerced by one shark, then it went down - and return with a friend.... They got so close - I was able to hit one with my fin. Luckely, the captaine of our sail boat saw me, and push the horn, so, they leave. Guess, it depends on what sharks, and what dolphins are you incounter...

I bet there's a video titled "Why primatologists know chimpanzees are scarier than gorillas" on youtube...

Has a wild dolphin ever graped a human?

I watched a male bottlenose attempting to drown a very small juvenile in the shallows of a shingle shoreline in Milford Sound New Zealand. Its mother and an older female kept the baby between them as they swam back and forth along the shoreline trying to protect it from the big male which was harrying them continually. I learnt that like many male of the species if they kill the young one, the mother comes back into season and than is available for mating again which is the males objective. I never saw how it ended the rest of the canoeing group I was with got to far away. I did canoe another time with a pod of Hectors that had young with them in Akaroa and they were just beautiful and swam along side again with a tiny young one inbetween to female adults. Amazing

Apples and oranges.

yet even with all that, dolphins are still more ethical than people

Nonsense

Is killer whale a misnomer? Aren’t they part of the “toothed whale” family? Interesting video.

Why are whales attacking boats rudders?

Almost sounds like like Australian Kangaroos ,behaviours! Yeh they are not as cute and cuddly as well! People should always remember wild is always wild!Great information that you are sharing with all of us 😁🤙

dolfins attack humans when humans are being stupid ( as usual) sharks attack people when the mistake them for food

So, Dolphins are Quentin Tarantino material? Reservoir Dolphins! Dreams can be crushed when people buy into the myth of them being cute flipper type critters, when they are just reflecting extreme human behavior…

Hmm... I guess it was instinct or something, but I have alway hated dolphins. I guess there was a good reason.

Human intelligence - morals (optional)

Listen critters with an excess of intelligence often get up to some pretty bad mischief were in no position to criticize.

I'm not shocked dolphins are my only fear in life.

Tanks Telly! Youve educated me. I always used to watch flipper a show about a dolphin who would help Bud and Sandy in Coral Keys Florida. Youve really opened my eyes! I still think of dolphins as friendly and good christian little animals always helping man. But now youve introduced me to the real world, and I thank you for that! As far as sharks go Im not particularly a big fan, sorry. Everything Ive seen on you tube lately makes.me.hate sharks even more.Ive eaten shark and it is a thicker piece of meat although afully tough in texture and bland in taste. The only thing good about sharks is their skin makes great sand paper for violins. I GUESS TO ROUGH UP THE STRINGS OR VARIOUS OTHER APPLICATIONS ON THE GUT STRINGS. PADREWSKY USED TO USE A SHARK SKIN FOR VIOLIN. WELL THATS THE STORY ANYWAY. SO DOLPHINS ARENT SO DOCILE AFTER ALL? I BEKIEVE YOUVE EDUCATED ME YOUNG LADY! THANK YOU. GOTTA EAT DINNER SO WILL GO NOW. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN. BYE FOR NOW CHRIS IN USA.

Not to mention orcas attacking yatxh rudders in the bay of Biscay