Playing catch with a ball of some sort is a popular past time for humans, but as it would seem, even dolphins might enjoy partaking in similar behaviors.
In this video, a pair of fake animals equipped with onboard cameras spy on a pod of young dolphins in their natural habitat. While swimming around, the dolphins happen upon a stray pufferfish, and it doesn’t take long before the playful marine animals begin snatching the fish and throwing it from one dolphin to the next.
The dolphins are careful not to eat the pufferfish, which is probably a good thing given the fish’s poisonous qualities. Instead, the dolphins carefully hold the fish in their mouths before breaching the ocean’s surface and giving the fish a good toss for another dolphin to pick up.
After the dolphins are finishing playing with the fish, they appear more relaxed and seem to be behaving strangely. This is because the pufferfish’s poison, when consumed in small doses, has the effect of a strong narcotic on the dolphins.
As for the pufferfish, it usually survives this strange bout of playfulness. On the other hand, it likely gets a bit dizzy from all the roughhousing.
