FW: Dolphin Rings

CSGnet Archive CSG2008
1

Hi, Bara –
I’m copying your amazing post to CSGnet, because it’s the most complex
example of animals (other than us) acting on the world to control their
experiences of it that I’ve ever seen. Toward the end, one dolphin
creates a ring, and (unless I lost track) a different dolphin
rolls lazily over and floats carefully through the ring.

We should seriously think about establishing communication with this
species.

Thanks much!

Love,

Dad

···

At 10:04 AM 10/9/2008 -0600, you wrote:

This is truly amazing and beautiful to watch… I�ve
never seen this before � have you?

*barb

The attached video is of dolphins playing with silver colored rings
which

they have the ability to make under water to play with. It isn’t known
how

they learn this, or if it’s an inbred ability.

As if by magic the dolphin does a quick flip of its head and a silver
ring

appears in front of its pointed beak. The ring is a solid, donut
shaped

bubble about 2-ft across, yet it doesn’t rise to the surface of the
water!

It stands upright in the water like a magic doorway to an unseen
dimension.

The dolphin then pulls a small silver donut from the larger one. Looking
at

the twisting ring for one last time a bite is taken from it, causing
the

small ring to collapse into a thousands of tiny bubbles which head
upward

towards the water’s surface.

After a few moments the dolphin creates another ring to play with.
There

also seems to be a separate mechanism for producing small rings, which
a

dolphin can accomplish by a quick flip of its head.

An explanation of how dolphins make these silver rings is that they
are

air-core vortex rings’. Invisible, spinning vortices in the water
are

generated from the tip of a dolphin’s dorsal fin when it is moving
rapidly

and turning.

When dolphins break the line, the ends are drawn together into a closed
ring

The higher velocity fluid around the core of the vortex is at a
lower

pressure than the fluid circulating farther away. Air is injected into
the

rings via bubbles released from the dolphin’s blowhole. The energy of
the

water vortex is enough to keep the bubbles from rising for a reasonably
few

seconds of play time.

No virus found in this incoming message.

Checked by AVG -
http://www.avg.com

Version: 8.0.173 / Virus Database: 270.7.6/1715 - Release Date: 10/8/2008
7:19 PM

2

Where's the video? It wasn't attached.

···

--
Regards,

Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting Company, LLC
nickols@att.net
www.nickols.us

"Assistance at A Distance"
  
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Bill Powers <powers_w@FRONTIER.NET>

3

[From Fred Nickols (2008.10.08.0935 PDT)]

I found the video on YouTube

···

--
Regards,

Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting Company, LLC
nickols@att.net
www.nickols.us

"Assistance at A Distance"
  
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Bill Powers <powers_w@FRONTIER.NET>

4

Hi, Pam –
Got this just after our phone conversation. Here are dolphins showing
that behavior is the control of (dolphin) perceptions. And dolphins can
control perceived relationships that we can recognize!
Bill

BlowingDolphinRings1.wmv (67 Bytes)

···

===================================================================
Hi, Bara –
I’m copying your amazing post to CSGnet, because it’s the most complex
example of animals (other than us) acting on the world to control their
experiences of it that I’ve ever seen. Toward the end, one dolphin
creates a ring, and (unless I lost track) a different dolphin
rolls lazily over and floats carefully through the ring.

We should seriously think about establishing communication with this
species.

Thanks much!

Love,

Dad

At 10:04 AM 10/9/2008 -0600, you wrote:

This is truly amazing and beautiful to watch… I’ve
never seen this before – have you?

*barb

The attached video is of dolphins playing with silver colored rings
which

they have the ability to make under water to play with. It isn’t known
how

they learn this, or if it’s an inbred ability.

As if by magic the dolphin does a quick flip of its head and a silver
ring

appears in front of its pointed beak. The ring is a solid, donut
shaped

bubble about 2-ft across, yet it doesn’t rise to the surface of the
water!

It stands upright in the water like a magic doorway to an unseen
dimension.

The dolphin then pulls a small silver donut from the larger one. Looking
at

the twisting ring for one last time a bite is taken from it, causing
the

small ring to collapse into a thousands of tiny bubbles which head
upward

towards the water’s surface.

After a few moments the dolphin creates another ring to play with.
There

also seems to be a separate mechanism for producing small rings, which
a

dolphin can accomplish by a quick flip of its head.

An explanation of how dolphins make these silver rings is that they
are

air-core vortex rings’. Invisible, spinning vortices in the water
are

generated from the tip of a dolphin’s dorsal fin when it is moving
rapidly

and turning.

When dolphins break the line, the ends are drawn together into a closed
ring

The higher velocity fluid around the core of the vortex is at a
lower

pressure than the fluid circulating farther away. Air is injected into
the

rings via bubbles released from the dolphin’s blowhole. The energy of
the

water vortex is enough to keep the bubbles from rising for a reasonably
few

seconds of play time.

No virus found in this incoming message.

Checked by AVG -
http://www.avg.com

Version: 8.0.173 / Virus Database: 270.7.6/1715 - Release Date: 10/8/2008
7:19 PM

5

[From Bill Powers, 2008.10.09.1-38 MDT)]

I see the dolphin video didn't get attached, so here it is.

Best,

Bill P.

BlowingDolphinRings11.wmv (68 Bytes)