zoo:logic

Everyone’s favourite smiley-faced cetaceans are more than just… well, a smiley face. Recent research has investigated dolphins’ incredible ability to heal from traumatic wounds such as those from a shark bite - injuries that would be fatal in a human being - without bleeding to death, becoming infected, or even seeming to experience pain. Not only this, but in healing the wound dolphins manage to almost totally restore the body contour from what was a deep, gaping laceration. The review provides some insight into how this might occur. Dr Zasloff of Georgetown University Medical Centre suggests that blood loss may be controlled by the same mechanism that reduces blood flow to the periphery of the body during deep dives (the diving reflex); that natural compounds known as organohalogens in blubber prevent infection through antimicrobial and antibiotic activity; and that recovery from a wound is less like the process of healing in humans and more like regeneration, allowing almost complete rebuilding of the tissues into the body contour. Least understood is the apparent lack of pain. Further neurological and physiological research will be required to find out exactly how pain is reduced.

In addition, research has recently discovered that the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) is the first true mammal to be found to be able to detect the electrical fields of their prey - the ability has previously only been seen in some fish, amphibians and primitive egg-laying mammals such as the duck-billed platypus. The electro-sensory organ in the dolphin is located in the upper jaw, and is evolutionarily derived from whiskers. Electro-sensory perception is much better at locating prey over short distances, for which echolocation is not so useful.

Ref: Mallet (2011) Dolphins’ remarkable recovery from injury offers important insights for human healing. EurekAlert! [link] || Hooper (2011) Electric dolphins: cetaceans with a seventh sense. New Scientist News [link]