成人快手

Scientists have discovered that male bottlenose dolphins can form decades-long social bonds. They cooperate among close knit groups, helping one another find mates and fight off competitors - behaviour not confirmed in animals before now.

Professor Stephanie King is part of the research team in Shark Bay, Australia, who identified the dolphin's behaviour: "In the animal kingdom we typically see inter-group conflict. Yet here for the first time, outside of humans, we are showing that dolphins are being strategic and actually cooperating in order to increase their access to females and increase their reproductive success."

Dolphins start building relationships as juveniles and put a lot of work into maintaining those connections. "They spend a lot time petting each other - rubbing their pectoral fins against each other... like hugging in humans... they spend a lot of time investing in the relationships with each other," says Prof King.

(Two bottlenose dolphins. Credit: Getty Images)