Have you ever seen dolphins engage in foreplay with a big snake? Neither had the researchers who photographed two adult male Bolivian river dolphins as they had “playful interaction” with a 2-metre-long Beni anaconda!
Although generalised playful behaviour is not uncommon for the pink freshwater dolphins, being horny during their “play date” with the apex predator certainly left scientists scratching their heads in August 2021, later describing it in a recent study published in the journal Ecology.
On the whole, the mammals’ improvised games with the anaconda was nothing to write home about, with photos showed the dolphins swimming around with the 34-kg snake in their mouths.
However, researchers later claimed that they were able to “observe on the photographs that the adult males were sexually aroused while engaging in object play with the anaconda”. They added that “there were juveniles on the scene as well, and it seemed that the adults were showing off the snake to them”.
It remains unclear how the scientists managed to conclude that the dolphins were horny, with one news outlet arguing that the researchers “realised the dolphins had erect penises, which […] supported the idea” that dangling the anaconda in their mouths was nothing but “a playful interaction” that lasted a total of seven minutes.
You may be surprised to know that freshwater dolphins are rarely-seen creatures, and that it is common for them to stay submerged for long periods of time, not to mention simultaneously juggling a massive snake between their powerful jaws.
The researchers, meanwhile, remained downbeat about the fate of the anaconda, who did not move during the dolphins’ foreplay and stayed underwater for a long time, elements that made them conclude that the snake was probably dead by the end of the encounter.
“I don't think that the snake had a very good time”, biologist Steffen Reichle from the team asserted.