Across Australia, Dolphins Independently Invent Shell-Driven Fishing
Two bottlenose dolphin populations—Shark Bay in the west and Great Sandy Marine Park in the east—have independently learned to shell fish by using empty sea-snail shells as traps, lifting them to drain prey. Queensland observations (2025) include a mother-calf sequence that may show vertical social learning, while earlier Shark Bay work documented rapid, socially mediated spread among associates. The geographic gap implies convergent invention rather than copying; more data are needed to confirm transmission routes and first-inventor moments.
