[CINC] Dolphins' Magic Rings

[dvabbott]

Thanks Deb,

For those interested simply check-out the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywqzhwU440s


on 9/19/08 7:44 AM, Deborah Lee Clark at caragamuffin at yahoo.com wrote:

> 
> 
>>  
>>>  Does anyone know about this? I received an amazing video which I will
>>> gladly forward to anyone who wants it-too big for the rain list.
>>> Deb Clark
>>>  
>>> Here's the explanation that came with it:
>>>> > The attached video is of  dolphins playing with silver colored rings
>>>> > which they have the ability to make under water to play with.  It
>>>> > isn't
>>>> > known how they learn this, or if it's an inbred ability.
>>>> >
>>>> > As if by magic the dolphin does a quick flip of its head and a
>>>> > silver ring
>>>> > appears in front of its pointed beak. The ring is a solid, donut
>>>> > shaped bubble about 2-ft across, yet it doesn't rise to the surface
>>>> > of the
>>>> > water!  It stands upright in the water like a magic doorway to an
>>>> > unseen
>>>> > dimension. The dolphin then pulls a small silver donut from the
>>>> > larger one.
>>>> > Looking at  the twisting ring for one last time a bite is taken from
>>>> > it,
>>>> > causing the small ring to collapse into a thousands of tiny bubbles
>>>> > which
>>>> > head upward towards the water's surface.  After a few moments the
>>>> > dolphin creates another ring to play with.  There also seems to be a
>>>> > separate mechanism for producing small ring which a dolphin can
>>>> > accomplish
>>>> > by a quick flip of its head.
>>>> >
>>>> > An explanation of how dolphins make these silver rings is that they
>>>> > are 'air-core vortex rings'.  Invisible, spinning vortices in the
>>>> > water are
>>>> > generated from the tip of a dolphin's dorsal fin when it is moving
>>>> > rapidly
>>>> > and turning. When dolphins break the line, the ends are drawn
>>>> > together into
>>>> > a closed ring.  The higher velocity fluid around the core of the
>>>> > vortex is
>>>> > at a lower pressure than the fluid circulating farther away. Air is
>>>> > injected
>>>> > into the rings via bubbles released from the dolphin's blowhole. The
>>>> > energy
>>>> > of the water vortex is enough to keep the bubbles from rising for a
>>>> > reasonably few seconds of play time.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>  
> 
> 
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