Biology

[Coffeehouse]

Biology Thread

Biology (from Greek βιολογία - βίος, bios, "life"; -λογία, -logia) is the study of life and a branch of the natural sciences which studies living organisms and how they interact with each other and their environment. It examines the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of living things. Also, it classifies and describes organisms, their functions, and how species come into existence. Four unifying principles form the foundation of modern biology: cell theory, evolution, genetics and homeostasis.



I've searched through the threads and although Science does cover Biology as a general supercategory I think we should have a specific thread for Biology that covers specifically the animal kingdom, marinebiology, microbiology and other topics concerning living organisms. Also Science seems pretty much Global Warming-focused and that's alright, but it's easier to find information about Biology if it has its own thread

So don't merge this with the Science thread please!!

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I watched this documentary today about four swimmers on the New Zealand coast who were subject a pretty incredible experience.

Three of the swimmers were lifeguards. One of them lifeguards was a grown man and the three others were girls in their late teens, early 20s. They were going to cross a bay by swimming across and about halfway across something strange happened. A few dolphins began swimming up to them, coming ever-closer. While the swimmers kept on towards the other side the dolphins grew in numbers. More and more were appearing on the surface and, for no apparent reason, the dolphins were starting to circle around the swimmers. They were circling so close around that the swimmers had to give up going forward and were literally trapped.

The dolphins now numbered as much as 10 individuals now and as they circled around for many minutes they suddenly began violently flapping their flukes (the tail) in the water around the swimmer making the water foam in chaos.

One of the lifeguards, the man, then decided to break free of the circle because he could not understand why the dolphins were behaving so aggressively. Having swum ferociously away he managed to do so but then realized that one of the girls, (who also was his daughter), followed after him and they ended up some 9-10 meters away from the two other girls and the circling dolphins.

What then happened was crazy. Suddenly this dolphin comes speeding towards the two of them and is really close to hitting them and then dives into the water. The man instinctively looks down in the water to see where it went and, to his surprise and shock&awe he sees a great, white shark swimming just beneath him, within touching distance. It then dawns on him that what the dolphins are really doing is protecting them! But he decides to not shout it to the two girls being encircled because if they, being by now cold and tired, hear that a great white is beneath them it will make matters even worse.

The man and his daugther (she doesn't know that there's a great white beneath her yet) then swim towards the two other girls again and their back in the circle. The guy understands that if they are going to survive that their best chance is to stay encircled by the dolphins who keep violently thrashing the water.

The four of the swimmers have by now drifted a good way towards a beach and some lifeguards on the beach spot the spectacle. So two lifeguards get in a boat and speed towards the swimmers. But then one of the lifeguards jumps out of the boat and the boat turns again towards the beach. Apparently the lifeguard believes that the swimmers are playing the dolphins, yet as soon as he hits the water he sees the great white beneath him and realises, obviously, that this isn't a game. He swims for his life against the swimmers and manages to get into the circle. So now we have four lifeguards and another swimmer encircled by dolphins. Both of the guys who know by now that there is a great white (or more) beneath them decide not to say anything. Instead they try to inch towards the beach while still encircled.

Gradually the dolphins circle wider and wider around them until suddenly they are gone and the by now five swimmers are alone in the sea. The lifeguard on the beach now returns again with the boat and gets them safely ashore.

I'm just amazed by the altruism those dolphins displayed. The dolphins encircled the swimmers for 45 minutes and left only when the great white had been ushered away. Just unbeliavable! Go dolphins!

Not only does this show some remarkably emphaty by the dolphins and a understanding that the swimmings are actually in danger. They also Organize and coordinate their effort. Some of the dolphins were circling and the others must have been trying to coax the great white beneath the surface (which they've been known to do), swimming just above the great white, irritating it and confusing it. The splashing with the flukes is a genious way of doing it, creating chaos and sending the great white a clear signal that it should lay off. It's also a true altruistic behaviour because the dolphins were putting their own lives at risk in a situation where the great white was going for the swimmers. Amazing!!