In one of the most bizarre scientific encounters ever, two male dolphins were seen playing with an anaconda “while they were sexually aroused”.
The researchers photographed Bolivian river dolphins holding the ill-fated anaconda in their mouths while swimming in the Tijamuchi River in Bolivia.
But what was particularly strange was that the dolphins had erect penises while carrying the snake, scientists reveal in a new study.
The two dolphins swam together synchronously, with similar speed and depth, while holding the anaconda
“It could have been sexually stimulating for them,” said Diana Reiss, a marine mammal scientist at Hunter College in New York. New York Times.
Reiss, who was not involved in the study, said the anaconda “might have been something to rub on.”
Male dolphins have long been believed to have sex for pleasure, as some have been seen masturbating and even penetrating each other.
The huge snake was a Beni anaconda (Eunectes merciensis), an apex predator reaching around 14 feet in length.
It is semi-aquatic, but according to researchers, this particular specimen likely died because its head was kept underwater for too long while dolphins swam with it.
“I don’t think the snake had much fun,” said study author Dr Steffen Reichle at the Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Bolivian river dolphins usually swim below the surface, but these two have kept their heads above the water for an unusually long time.
“Surprisingly, they were very playful and remained visible on the surface longer than normal, which is usually between 2 and 5 seconds,” state the authors in their study.
The two dolphins swam together synchronously, with similar speed and depth.
Adult river dolphins are apparently sexually aroused (as seen by their erect penises through their genital slits)
Researchers think the dolphins were playing and not trying to eat the anaconda. But the indication that they were sexually aroused suggests “a new frontier in gaming”.
There were also young dolphins on the scene, so it’s possible the adults were showing them the snake.
“The fact that adult river dolphins are apparently sexually aroused (as seen by their erect penises through their genital crevices) during this interaction further confirms that it was a playful interaction,” they say.
The event occurred in August 2021, and researchers have now published an article describing it in the journal Ecology.
A Beni anaconda (Eunectes merciensis) seen on the banks of the Rio Beni, Puerto Salinas, El Beni, Bolivia (archive photo)
Their observation represents the first recorded interaction between a Bolivian river dolphin and a Beni anaconda, they say.
However, many questions remain unanswered regarding the interaction.
The lack of dietary data on river dolphins means that it is not impossible for snakes to be “an occasional food” as well as a playful, possibly didactic object.
Future observations are hoped to advance knowledge of “these exquisite and rare inhabitants to the remote floodplains of Beni,” the authors conclude.
