Nature's secret remedies: Self-medicating dolphins

Scientists have discovered a unique behaviour among the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the Red Sea.

The dolphins deliberately rub themselves through the fronds of a bush-like coral called a gorgonian.

Researchers now believe this to be a form of self-medication that could unlock the secrets of natural remedies in the ocean and start the development of new drugs for humans.

Video by Maarten van Rouveroy

Executive producer: Camelia Sadeghzadeh

 

23 February 2022