ADELAIDE, Australia, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Wild dolphins in Australia have been observed teaching themselves to "walk on water" by furiously paddling upright on their tail flukes, scientists say.
Six dolphins have been seen mastering the technique in a rare example of animals "culturally transmitting" a playful rather than foraging behavior, researchers say.
Only a handful species are known to create their own culture, defined as the sharing or transmitting specific novel behaviors or traditions among a community of animals, the BBC reported.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society scientist Mike Bossley has witnessed two wild adult female dolphins attempting to walk on water. Bossley, who has spent 24 years studying dolphins living in the Port River in Adelaide, says four more dolphins, including young infants, have been observed attempting to learn the trick from the two adults and have been seen practicing, less successfully, in the river.
The behavior, more commonly seen among captive dolphins trained to perform tricks, is extremely rare in the wild, researchers say.
"As far as we are aware, tail-walking has no practical function and is performed just for fun, akin to human dancing or gymnastics," Bossley says.
