The article explores the way animals are able to adapt to certain environments and circumstances in order to self-medicate. The main focus of the article is kept on a recently discovered tendency of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins to rub against specific sea sponges (Robitzski, 2022). As the scientists studied the secreted elements of given corals, they discovered antibacterial formulas in the samples. This way, they made a conclusion that dolphins use these corals in order to treat their skin infections and, therefore, self-medicate.
The relevance of this article is supported by the fact that it displays the interconnection within a specific ecosystem. A beneficial interaction between the organisms that are not the part of the same food chain demonstrates that even the distant elements of certain ecosystems can be useful for each other. Thus, it proves that the contributions to the stability and balance of a given ecosystem come from various directions, even if they are unexpected or undiscovered yet.
Although people are still far from obtaining all the knowledge related to the marine life, I believe that such discoveries provide a fuller insight on the way marine creatures interact. For instance, I believe that this specific article is useful and informative mainly because of the way it allows us to notice unobvious patterns in the interactions of seemingly unrelated organisms. Additionally, I think that this article generally has an appealing self-presentation, as it focuses on the animal behavior features which might evoke interest in the majority of people, since the topic of animals is widely considered to be entertaining and interesting. Hence, the article provides a new biological discovery while managing to present it in an appealing manner that can be relatable to wider audiences.
Reference
Robitzski, D. (2022). Study suggests dolphins use coral mucus as medicine. TheScientist.