A dolphin who learned to walk on its tail while in captivity has taught nine of her friends the trick since being released into the wild.

Billie the dolphin, a bottlenose who was rescued from a severely polluted creek in January 1988, learned a trick known as the tailwalk by watching other dolphins she was housed with at a dolphinarium in Adelaide.

The trick, which involves ‘standing’ upright on the tail and running backwards along the waterline, is a common part of their routine but is rarely seen in the wild.

A dolphin who learned to walk on its tail while in captivity has taught nine of her friends the trick since being released into the wild (Picture: Whale and Dolphin Conservation)

After she was released into the wild, Billie continued to perform her trick and by 2011, other dolphins began copying her, according to a new study published in Royal Society’s Biology Letters.


Toothbrush removed from man's stomach after he swallowed it while brushing

Scientists say it marks the only known example of a mammal teaching human tricks to its peers in the wild without any help from a human trainer.



This intelligence could also help save the species from climate change, experts at the University of Exeter and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, in Wiltshire, said.

Since 2014, the habit of tailwalkers has significantly dropped off with only two dolphins performing the trick.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Scientists say it marks the only known example of a mammal teaching human tricks to its peers in the wild without any help from a human trainer (Picture: Whale and Dolphin Conservation)

This has left researchers fearing the skill may disappear, which doesn’t have a huge affect on the dolphins but could help them in their bid to cope with global warming.

By learning to quickly imitate others, the animals could develop new survival skills faster than natural selection allows such as new foraging or hunting behaviours.

Dr Mike Bossley, from Whale and Dolphin Conservation and the study’s lead author, said: ‘I knew Billie’s history and was able to track her behaviour and that of the other dolphins in the community over an extended period.

The trick involves ‘standing’ upright on the tail and running backwards along the waterline (Picture: Whale and Dolphin Conservation)

‘This enabled me to observe tail walking spread through the community and then its eventual fading away.’

Security guard filmed 'trying to strangle colleague' at train station

Co-author Philippa Brakes said dolphins showing they can imitate eachother shows a strong possibility of conservation.

She said: ‘Understanding more about the social transmission of behaviour will help us predict how different species may respond to changes in their environment.

‘The rapid spread of socially learnt behaviours can operate much faster than the intergenerational process of natural selection, which can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the type of behaviour transmitted.’

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? If you have a story for our news team, email us at webnews@metro.co.uk. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.