Not only smart, dolphins also know 'skincare', surprising scientists

As it turns out, the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin is one of the few animals in the wild that has the same skin care habits as humans. Scientists discovered that they have a habit of rubbing themselves against certain types of coral and sponges to protect their skin from infection.

Dolphins are famous for their shiny, smooth skin that makes many beauty bloggers "envious".

According to observations from 13 years ago, dolphins will rub their smooth skin against coral in the Red Sea waters off Egypt. The coral they use for "skincare" is a soft coral.

The researchers suspect that they do so because soft corals (or gorgonian corals) secrete a mucus with compounds that have antimicrobial properties. In addition to gorgonian corals, they also find many other coral species with similar properties.

In a new study published on May 19, scientists showed that these compounds are beneficial for dolphin skin. By continuously coating their skin with these substances, dolphins can prevent and fight skin infections, maintaining a healthy microbiome.

From boat observations and scuba diving, many interesting behaviors of dolphins have also been discovered. They will line up to enter the coral "spa", then one by one they will go in to perform "skincare". When rubbing against layers of soft coral, their skin becomes covered in a yellow-green compound.

The baby dolphins (under 1 year old) will attentively observe the activities of their seniors and seniors and then gradually learn to rub themselves. At first, they will only touch a little and then quickly "shy" swim away. According to the researchers, this activity is a social learning behavior rather than innate known.

The "little" dolphin will learn behavior from seniors and seniors.

According to the analysis, they found 17 biologically active compounds, 10 of which are antibacterial. Some also have antioxidant effects, while others are as effective as estrogen in keeping dolphin skin hydrated. In addition, there is also a small toxic content for sterilization.

However, the research is still limited to the new chemical analysis being conducted in a laboratory rather than actual dolphin skin. In addition, scientists are not sure that dolphins are really smart enough to know how to choose corals that are good for their skin.

Anyway, the need to beautify and take care of yourself from the smallest things does not seem to be "exclusive" in humans.