Dolphins are peeing in the Amazon River in a weird way – scientists are trying to figure out why
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists are perplexed by a strange new behaviour shown by the Amazon river dolphin of flipping belly-up to urinate with another male “actively” seeking the stream with its snout. “Our study shows that while aerial urination may be rare, or rarely observed, in cetaceans, it is relatively common in botos.” They are not sure why the dolphins engage in this behaviour but suspect it may have something to do with scent marking to aid mate selection. Aerial urination by the Amazon dolphin The study documents 36 instances of “aerial urination” by boto between 2014 and 2018 and records the sequence, duration and social context of the behaviour. “Aerial urination starts with a boto slowly positioning itself upside down, exposing its penis above water, and ejecting a stream of urine into the air,” notes the study, published in the journal Behavioural Processes.
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