How dolphins say I love you with a bouquet of seaweed: They're also pushy parents, make best friends for life - and exfoliate every day



So much can be said with flowers - whether it’s I’m sorry, congratulations or simply I love you, they’re a gesture most people can identify with.

And so, it seems, can dolphins. A curiously romantic side to these charming marine mammals has been revealed in a stunning new BBC TV series.

Documentary crews have been able to observe a male bottlenose dolphin wooing his sweetheart with a garland of seaweed.

Gift of love: A dolphin goes courting with a strand of seaweed, which his tosses between his fins, tail and nose

She poses coquettishly with her gift, before their love is sealed by mating.

Documentary-makers went to extraordinary lengths to capture the dolphins’ mating rituals, using 13 remote-control devices shaped like turtles, tuna, clams and squid in the ocean off the coast of Mozambique.

They found that dolphins can be pushy parents, loyal friends, and prone to adolescent bursts of machismo.

‘This is the first time the daily lives of dolphins have been filmed at close range in such intimate detail,’ says zoologist and film-maker Rob Pilley.

Affectionate: A romantic side to these charming marine mammals has been revealed in a new TV series

Here in an exclusive preview of Dolphins - Spy In The Pod, the Mail sees how much these creatures are, delightfully, just like us.

The art of seduction

Courting males will spend hours looking for the longest and most perfect strand of seaweed to present to the objects of their desire.

Before handing it over, a hot-blooded dolphin will use the seaweed to show off his prowess: tossing it between his fins, tail and nose.

Producer Rob Pilley says: ‘If the female likes what she sees, she will accept the seaweed - and then drape and play with it seductively like a feather boa.’

Bond: Dolphins talk to their offspring constantly so babies learn to recognise their voices and find them when visibility in the water is poor

Now they are an item, the amorous pair will do the dolphin equivalent of cuddling - stroking each other with their fins - as they twist and spin around each other.

Despite the elaborate foreplay, which can last over an hour, the act of love itself does not take long - around three seconds. Females are not one-man-girls either. During the mating season, they can be seduced several times a day by different members of the same pod of young males.

Rob says: ‘When sex happens, it’s more like shaking hands - and afterwards the pair will go their separate ways.’

The most loving of mothers



A year later, baby arrives after a labour that can last several hours. So newborns are born tail-first to stay attached to their mother’s oxygen supply - via the umbilical cord - as long as possible.

As soon as the cord snaps, the babies - around 90cm long - are guided by their mums to the surface so they can take their first gulp of air.

The dolphin calves have stripes, like a baby’s wrinkles, from their time curled up in the womb, which fade after two weeks.

Like a human mother, dolphins lovingly stroke their infants using their fins in a version of a cuddle.

They also talk to their offspring constantly so babies learn to recognise their voices and find them when visibility in the water is poor.

The closest of pals

Males and females spend most of their lives apart, living in single-sex pods of around 30 animals.

Within these groups, most dolphins have a best friend - and they stick together all their lives, through thick and thin.

The best mate of a female dolphin will act like a sort of midwife when her friend gives birth, protecting her from danger.



Close pals: Most dolphins have a best friend - and they stick together all their lives, through thick and thin

The pair will also be like aunties to each other’s offspring, helping to raise them and forming a baby-sitting circle with the rest of the females.

Young males also have lifelong best friends. Rob says: ‘They will go on the pull for females together, look for fun things to do and watch each other’s backs in times of danger. It’s a real bromance.’

Grumpy old men

When they are young, male dolphins move in packs and behave like any gang of young human males - racing each other, being boisterous and going on the hunt for young females.

But after a few years, the older, more experienced ones tend to break off on their own for some peace and quiet.



Rob says: ‘Dolphins have a life-span of around 30 years - and by the age of 20 male dolphins may feel like they are getting too old for it all.



Peace: By the age of 20, dolphins tend to break off on their own for some peace and quiet

‘It’s as if they’ve enough of all the rough-housing and take life a bit easier. They get like grumpy old men.’

Mummy knows best

Dolphins are the ultimate pushy mothers, intensively tutoring their babies for up to two years until they are old enough to go it alone.

Babies learn by closely mirroring their mother’s every move and copying the sounds they make.

Part of the curriculum is teaching their infants which fish are the tastiest - and where to find them.

In the documentary, a female shows her youngster how to find a flounder hiding in the sand on the ocean bed.

'Dolphins are the ultimate pushy mothers, intensively tutoring their babies for up to two years'



She then demonstrates how to concentrate and direct the high-pitch sounds he makes in his skull into an invisible beam, which can be used to stun the prey.

At first the baby misfires, frightening off his treat. But eventually he gets the knack and gobbles up his snack.

There was no danger of the cameras being mistaken for a dinner, however.

‘They had us sussed immediately,’ says Rob Pilley. ‘They send out concentrated sound waves, which act like a pair of X-ray specs, allowing them to see they were mechanical inside. Luckily, they are also extremely curious, so they would come up and have a good look.’

Baby babble

Just as human babies babble to learn how to speak, young dolphins also practise by whistling and clicking.

They make these noises by adjusting the size of their blowholes as they force air out.

Every dolphin has its own signature whistle, which is used like a name to call one another.

But while we humans decide on our children’s names, dolphin babies name themselves - by practising and deciding which noises they like best.



Choice: Dolphin babies name themselves - by practising and deciding which noises they like best

Dolphin language can be seen as well as heard.

As the blowholes open and shut, dolphins deliberately create air bubbles - which can be seen as magical trails of silver circles rising to the surface.

They not only use these as toys, spinning them around on their noses like hula-hoops, they also use them for communication.

Rob says: ‘If two large males antagonise each other, they will deliberately make bigger bubbles. It’s their form of shouting and saying: ‘You’ve really annoyed me now!’

A love of playtime

Like human babies, dolphins use their mouths to explore everything, gently using their lips and tongue to explore the textures of any object the come across.

Similar to magpies, they also collect shiny stones and shells like trinkets, which they love offering to each other as gifts.

Jumping for joy: When they are travelling at speed, dolphins can leap up to 15ft out of the water

Although the reasons are not completely understood, they are also known to collect sponges and balance them on their noses.

Boy racers

Dolphins’ huge intelligence and a plentiful supply of fish means that not only do they have time to spare, they also get bored easily.

This means they love a challenge - and will try to race boats and ships, the bigger the better.

Rob says: ‘They love to surf the huge waves at the bow of oil tankers, going up to speeds of 30mph.

It’s like playing chicken for them because they could bash into the sides. Unlike most animals, much of what they do is simply for fun.’

Jumping for joy

As mammals, adult dolphins can stay underwater for up to 13 minutes at a time before needing to surface. When they are travelling at speed, they can leap up to 15ft out of the water, which also helps them see the ocean ahead.

They also love to surf, and pods time their visits close to shore to coincide with the biggest breakers.

Rob says: ‘We saw them ride waves of 20ft high and then jump out of the top. Sometimes there were ten or 15 in a row moving with perfect synchronicity. They are simply the best surfers in the world.’

grin or grimace?

Dolphins are often thought of as happy creatures because of their broad grins. But when they open their mouths, it can have a more threatening meaning.

Rob says: ‘If they show their rows of teeth, they are showing off their arsenal of weapons and saying: “Don’t mess with me or I’ll have you.”

‘It may be combined with them arching their bodies to make themselves look bigger, in the same way as a cat arches its back before a fight.’

'There is a good reason why dolphins have such perfect skin - they exfoliate'



Dolphins also communicate with their human-looking eyes, says Rob. ‘If they’re curious or unsure, they will narrow their eyes sceptically. If they are surprised, their eyes will widen and their pupils dilate just as ours do.’

Smooth operators

There is a good reason why dolphins have such perfect skin - they exfoliate.

While other marine creatures rely on barnacles and sucker fish to do the job, dolphins stay stream-lined by using coral to scrub themselves.

Incredibly, they shed a complete coating of skin every three hours. To help the process, they can often be seen queuing up to rub themselves along a favourite area of coral.

Rob says: ‘It’s the underwater equivalent of a spa.’