Sunday, November 15, 2026
Dolphins, like Halfway here, rely on “echolocation,” similar to sonar as we know it, to recognize shapes like fish in the water to catch their next meal. Recent tests indicate that they may also be able to detect electric current and pulses emitted by several marine species
Newborn dolphins, like Galaxy, have very fine hairs on their upper nose that fall out shortly after birth. Research suggests that as they age, these “pits” resulting from the hair loss can contain electro-sensory receptors that can detect electronic pulses emitted by other marine creatures.
Dolphin Explorer LLC is the proprietor of The 10,000 Islands DolphinStudy Project which has been monitoring the feeding habits, social behavior, abundance, travel range, genealogy and overall health of the local bottlenose dolphin population around Marco Island, Florida. Approaching 18 years of data collection and documentation, the team has watched the population carefully and is now in a third generation being monitored. Changes have taken place over the years and information has been shared with colleges, universities and other dolphin study programs throughout the globe. The study continues…
The source for much of the information here comes from StudyFinds.
When it comes to studying animals and wildlife, we know less about creatures that live in the water versus those on land. Technology developments have increased exponentially over the past 50 years and the ability to learn, and do so quicker, is helping us to understand the functions and abilities of some of our marine species. In this case, it would be bottlenose dolphins.
Just this month, breaking news from the Nuremberg Zoo in Germany is causing quite a stir. Scientists there have discovered a sensory ability previously unknown regarding the “electroreception” of the bottlenose dolphins. There are other electroreceptive animals and this finding bridges the gap between dolphins and these other species to add a new understanding of how some creatures interact with each other in the water.
Electroreception is the ability to perceive surrounding electric fields usually associated with aquatic or semi-aquatic species. This sensory skill has been a main focus of research by marine biologists. The revelation that bottlenose dolphins have this sense now changes and increases our understanding of marine sensory biology.
Think of a dolphin swimming along and its travel range is now illuminated, not by light, but by the weak electrical signals of hidden prey. This could drastically change our understanding of their foraging strategies. This “sixth sense” might be important in navigation and communication as well.
The research began when dolphin calves were noted to have fine hairs along their snouts. These hairs fall out shortly after birth leaving indentations known as “vibrissal pits.” These pits look very similar to those of sharks that detect electric fields. This prompted the Nuremberg scientists to conduct a series of experiments to see if adult dolphins had any of this electrosensory capability.
The research team constructed an apparatus in a controlled pool and two adult dolphins were exposed to both AC and DC electric fields of varied strengths. The intensity of the electric fields were reduced to find the exact threshold of the dolphins’ electroreceptive abilities.
Both adult dolphins demonstrated an acute sensitivity to AC and DC fields. The study continued and the dolphins were able to detect pulsating electric fields, similar to those produced by fish gills. This sense could prove vital in foraging for food in murky waters, such as the estuaries in the Marco Island area.
For dolphins that migrate, it was proposed that those dolphins might use their electrosensory skills in conjunction with Earth’s magnetic field for navigation!
Future studies in more natural settings could offer a better understanding of how dolphins might utilize this sense in their day-to-day lives.
It is well known that several sharks, rays and some fish species possess what is called Ampullae of Lorenzini, which are electroreceptors located just below the pores of the skin, mostly in the region around the head. Just as we described above for the dolphins, these sensors can be used to detect prey, even form migratory patterns and identify geographic location.
The five senses dolphins are known to possess are vision, hearing, touch, taste and echolocation. This sixth sense of electrosensory abilities would definitely introduce a new dimension to what is known about bottlenose dolphins.
More testing and studies are needed to better understand this sixth sense but experiments indicate that it does exist. Now the research on how it is used by dolphins begins!
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