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Dolphins learn how to use tools to hunt for fish from their mothers

Phys · · 770 words · By Alexis Levengood
Biological Social Learning Animal Intelligence Human Exceptionalism
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What to know about Biological Social Learning

Researchers observed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Queensland, Australia, using seashells to hunt fish, a behavior known as 'shelling'. The study suggests this tool use may be passed from mothers to calves through social transmission, similar to other observed animal tool-use behaviors.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Dolphins learn how to use tools to hunt for fish from their mothers Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Chief Editor From spears and the invention of the wheel to smartphones and robots, human societies have been building and using tools from the…

Why it matters

Human tool use has helped conquer new environments, increase communication and ultimately alter the course of human evolution.

Common ground

But humans are not alone in their use of tools.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Researchers observed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Queensland, Australia, using seashells to hunt fish, a behavior known as 'shelling'. The study suggests this tool use may be passed from mothers to calves through social transmission, similar to other observed animal tool-use behaviors.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dolphins-tools-fish-mothers.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
info Single Source 3
schedule Pending 2
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Claim 1: “Crows in New Caledonia fashion twigs into hooks and leaves into barbed "knives" to extract larvae from narrow crevices in trees.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is supported by The Conversation and specific scientific reports/Wikipedia entries regarding New Caledonian crows manufacturing hook and leaf tools.
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web search NEUTRAL — Two decades of University of St Andrews field and aviary studies have shown that New Caledonian crows manufacture hooked stick tools to specific designs, extract prey faster with them, and safeguard t…
https://scienceblog.com/sb-researchers-at-the-university-of-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The New Caledonian crow is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonian_crow
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web search NEUTRAL — New Caledonian crows manufacture an impressive range of stick and leaf tools.Crows follow a three-step process: selection, trimming, and sculpting for tool creation. The average time for sculpting hoo…
https://www.academia.edu/7386412/The_crafting_of_hook_tools_…
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 2: “Between July and October 2025, we observed two adult female dolphins shelling.”
CORROBORATED
The specific observation period (July to October 2025) and the observation of two adult females are reported by The Conversation and corroborated by other web search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, Bolshevik Revolution, and occasionally the November Revolution, w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — October is the 10th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC, October retained its name (from Latin and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2013 (MMXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2013th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 13th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “The Queensland shelling records show dolphins on opposite sides of Australia (more than 6,000 kilometers apart) learned to use tools in the exact same way”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 4: “shelling had previously been reported only in Shark Bay, Western Australia.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided Wikipedia results discuss sharks and general geography, but do not confirm or deny whether shelling was previously only reported in Shark Bay. No corroborating web search results were provided for this specific claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The gummy shark (Mustelus antarcticus), also known as the Australian smooth hound, flake, sweet william or smooth dog-shark, is a species of ground shark in the genus Mustelus of the family Triakidae.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gummy_shark
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of fatal shark attacks in Australia. The Australian Shark-Incident Database includes 312 fatal shark attacks between 1791 and January 2026. Since 2000 there have been 59 confirmed fatal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_shark_attacks_in…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A total of 24 people have been killed by sharks in South Australian waters since the establishment of the colony in 1836. Prior to 2014, there had been 82 recorded shark attacks in South Australia. 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_attacks_in_South_Austral…
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Claim 5: “Dolphin researchers in Western Australia have found dolphins using basket sponges on their beaks to help them hunt through rubble-littered seafloors.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that dolphins in Western Australia use basket sponges on their beaks to forage on rubble-littered seafloors.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni) is a dolphin found off the northern coasts of Australia. It closely resembles the Irrawaddy dolphin (of the same genus, Orcaella) and was not descri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_snubfin_dolphin
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dolphin Island is an island situated in the Dampier Archipelago in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Visitors are able to camp within 100 metres (328 ft) of the high water mark on all of the be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_Island_(Western_Austra…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dolphins are a professional rugby league football team that competes in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL), and plays most of its home games at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Launched as a b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphins_(NRL)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 6: “octopuses have been observed carrying coconut shells to construct portable shelters.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia and web search results about octopus intelligence and anatomy, but none of the provided snippets specifically mention coconut shells for portable shelters.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — An octopus has blue blood and three hearts. But these aren't even the most astonishing things scientists have discovered about these beguiling marine animals. Here are some additional ways octopuses a…
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/octopuses-keep-surprising-us-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 13, 2024 · These bizarre creatures have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and for humans, they’ve inspired horror, admiration and culinary prestige. Octopuses, those whip-smart, bizar…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-wild-facts…
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web search NEUTRAL — Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse invertebrates. Octopuses inhabit various ocean habitats, including coral reefs…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus
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Claim 7: “Our new study, published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, shows dolphins can use seashells to help them hunt for fish.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is reported by The Conversation and multiple web search results (UniSC, other news snippets) confirming a study in Marine Mammal Science regarding dolphins using seashells to hunt.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marine Mammal Science is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all topics about or related to marine mammals. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Society for Marine Mam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Mammal_Science
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marine mammals are mammals that rely on marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, marine otters, sea otters and polar bears. They are an info…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_mammal
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A marine mammal park (also known as marine animal park and sometimes oceanarium) is a commercial theme park or aquarium where marine mammals such as dolphins, beluga whales and sea lions are kept with…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_mammal_park
+ 4 more evidence sources
info
Claim 8: “Studies have since shown that primates use stones as hammers to crack open nuts and fruit.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the claim is present in the cross-reference (The Conversation), the provided web search results only define what primates are and do not specifically confirm the use of stones as hammers for nuts/fruit.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Primates is an order of mammals, which is further divided into the strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and lorisids; and the haplorhines, which include tarsiers and simians (monkeys and ape…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate
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web search NEUTRAL — Primates is a diverse order of placental mammals which includes monkeys, lemurs, galagos, lorisids, tarsiers, and apes (including humans). Members of this order are called primates. The order currentl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_primates
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 11, 2026 · Primates are a diverse group of mammals, including lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. With over 500 species, the order Primates is divided into two suborders: strepsi…
https://animalfact.com/primates/
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 9: “One of the first documented records of tool use in nonhuman animals dates to the 1960s, when legendary primatologist Jane Goodall observed chimpanzees using sticks to fish termites out of hollow logs.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including the Jane Goodall Institute and web search results, confirm Jane Goodall's 1960s observations of chimpanzees using sticks to fish for termites.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global non-profit wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall_Institute
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Derek Noel MacLean Bryceson (December 31, 1922 – October 1, 1980) was a British-Tanzanian politician best known as the second husband of Jane Goodall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Bryceson
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall ( GUUD-awl; née Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934 – 1 October 2025) was an English primatologist and anthropologist. Regarded as a pioneer in primate ethology, and describe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall
+ 4 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 10: “The calf of the second female observed in October 2025 picked up the shell within minutes after the mother dropped it.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 11: “shelling was also observed and photographed in the Great Sandy Marine Park in 2013 and 2019.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is mentioned in The Conversation and corroborated by a web search result stating shelling had been photographed by Blue Dolphin Marine Tours in 2013 and 2019.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — shelling was also observed and photographed in the Great Sandy Marine Park in 2013 and 2019.
https://theconversation.com/dolphins-learn-how-to-use-tools-…
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Claim 12: “we observed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) "shelling"—a hunting behavior in which dolphins chase fish into a large empty shell, then lift and manipulate the shell at the water's surface to drain the fish into their mouths.”
CORROBORATED
The specific behavior of 'shelling' by Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins is described in The Conversation and corroborated by UniSC and other web search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Indo people or Indos (Dutch: Indo's; Indonesian: Orang Indo) are Eurasian people living in or connected with Indonesia. In its narrowest sense, the term refers to people in the former Dutch East I…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo_people
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web search NEUTRAL — Indo may refer to: Indo-, a prefix indicating India or the Indian subcontinent Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia INDO LINES, callsign of Indonesian Airlines Indo people, people of mixed European …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo
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web search NEUTRAL — Get real-time Indonesia Energy Corp Ltd (INDO) stock price, news, financials, community insights, and trading ideas. Join 10 million+ investors and traders tracking markets in real-time on Stocktwits.
https://stocktwits.com/symbol/INDO
+ 1 more evidence source
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.