The Therapeutic Skin-Care Routine of Dolphins
Red Sea dolphins slather their skin in coral mucus (because nature is wonderfully gross.) Young dolphins seem to learn this skin care routine from their elders as the coral mucus contains bioactive compounds that may prevent and treat skin infections.
Transcript
00:00Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins practice a very thorough skin care routine,
00:05which involves a lot of coral mucus.
00:10These dolphins live in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt,
00:13and rub their bodies against certain types of corals and sponges.
00:18Scientists first observed this rubbing behavior about 13 years ago,
00:22after divers had already seen it anecdotally.
00:26At the time, scientists didn't know why the dolphins shimmied against the corals in this way,
00:31but they suspected that the behavior might have medicinal benefits.
00:35Now, in a new study, these researchers have identified 17 bioactive compounds
00:41that the dolphins' preferred corals and sponges produce.
00:44These compounds include antibacterial substances and antioxidants,
00:49as well as hormone-like compounds that might help maintain skin hydration and elasticity.
00:55Plus, some of the corals produce small amounts of toxic compounds
00:58that may help to kill parasites on the skin's surface.
01:02By regularly coating their silver-gray bodies in these compounds,
01:06the dolphins may prevent and treat skin infection,
01:09as well as generally maintain their skin microbiomes,
01:12or the community of microorganisms that live on their flesh.
01:16These are the first officially reported observations of a dolphin species self-medicating in this way.