Dolphin Study Reveals Complex Moves by Copying Others

Apr 28, 2026 | News On Japan

HYOGO, Apr 28, 2026 (News On Japan) - A marine park in Hyogo Prefecture is presenting research findings in a live show demonstrating that a young dolphin can learn by imitating the movements of adults.

At Kinosaki Marine World in Toyooka, researchers spent a year and a half studying Milky, a 2-year-old female Pacific white-sided dolphin.

The study found that Milky was able to copy other dolphins and master more than 10 different movements. The findings were also presented at an academic conference last year, and are now being showcased to visitors through a live performance.

Kanoko Nakamura of Kinosaki Marine World said, "Many of the abilities dolphins possess are still not widely known. We hope people will take this opportunity to see how fascinating and capable they are."

The dolphin performance introducing the research results will run until the end of May.

Source: KTV NEWS

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