Can Dolphins Detect Pregnancy Using Echolocation?? What does Study say??

 Dolphins can detect pregnancy in women using echolocation, according to an expert. Dolphins emit sound waves and listen to the echo to make sense of their environment. They use it as their regular Sensor to detect food, enemy, and objects. Experts say that it possible that a dolphin may be able to detect the difference in the echo of women before and during pregnancy. Because doctors too use similar devices to detect the presence of a fetus inside the uterus of a pregnant human (Livescience reported.)

Previously it was speculated that the dolphins might know when a woman is  pregnant as female dolphins are known to take particular interest in pregnant women, often seen swimming close to them.

"I think it's extremely plausible [dolphins] would be able to detect a fetus," said Lori Marino, a neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta who studies cetacean intelligence, according to LiveScience. However, "you'd have to really do a well-controlled study to make a definitive statement," she cautioned.

 

When dolphins want to communicate with other dolphins or are just curious about something, they put their snout on it and buzz, which is a sort of concentrated echolocation. Dolphins are known to "buzz" around pregnant women.

Marion told Livescience that dolphins might get a kind of ultrasound image of the human fetus. "We know from other studies that they are very good at going from a visual image to an acoustic image," and vice versa, Marino said.

 

Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) or Platanistidae (river dolphins). Most dolphins are small with a beak-like snout and needle-like teeth. They are popular due to their friendliness, grace and intelligence. Some scientists, Experts in philosophy, conservation, and animal behavior believe dolphins and whales to be "non-human" persons as they are self-aware and are highly intelligent. 

However, it's not at all a good idea to approach dolphins by the pool or water for the detection of fetus as because meat-eating marines may sometimes be aggressive sometimes. So better to visit a doctor for the detection of pregnancy.

Edited, Composed and Authored by: Sahidul Islam ((Contact admin here)

Credits/Acknowledgement/Courtesy: www.livescience.com