061 Two Species, One Shore
Hey Dolphin, you drive the fish towards the shore and dive suddenly to tell the fishermen when to throw, then catch what scatters from the net.
Who taught two different species to work one shore together?
Who taught two strangers to work together?
In a lagoon in southern Brazil, fishermen stand waist-deep in murky water, holding nets. They cannot see the fish.
A dolphin rolls and dives suddenly near them. The fishermen throw.
What really happens
In Laguna, Brazil, wild bottlenose dolphins and local fishermen have fished together for generations.
The dolphins push fish towards the shore and give a sudden dive. The fishermen take that as the signal to throw. The dolphins catch fish that scatter from the net. Both sides catch more.
How we know: Cantor and colleagues, PNAS, 2023, tracked dolphins and fishermen with drones and sound recorders and showed both benefit.
The turn
We often work only with people like us.
Two very different species found a way to read each other, and both gained.
Three takeaways
- Partnership can cross any difference.
- Learn the other side's signals.
- When both win, cooperation lasts for generations.
Two kinds, one shore, one catch.
Assemble, speak together: let your minds be all of one accord.