Cool Photo of the Day: Whales and Dolphins Playing together

6.7.2011

Coolest photo of the day is a photo of this Dolphin and Whale. At first you would think the whale was attacking the dolphin but on the contrary.

 

After about ten minutes of observing a strange interaction between two adult bottlenose dolphins laying across an adult humpback whale’s head while both species were slowly swimming, it became obvious to me that the two species collaborated in some way to pull off this stunt! It was apparent to me as I looked through my camera lens that it was a mutual “agreement” between the two species. The whale very slowly–and vertically–lifted the dolphin into the air.

I expected to see the dolphin freak out and wriggle atop the humpback’s rostrum to get off, but instead it lay still and arched trying to remain at the peak before the slippery surface and gravity would spoil the fun. In this frame the dolphin began to slip and meet its fated return to the sea. Once back in the ocean, the dolphin immediately porpoised to–and then away with—the other dolphin. Their leaps looked joyful, as if they scored a coup!

- photographer, Lori Mazzuca
Taken at Kauai, Hawaii

Lori has many more interesting photos in her gallery: http://www.lorimazzuca.com