News Animals

Dolphins’ open-mouth behaviors during play are like smiles, a study claims

Whether smiles or not, the gestures seem to be important for how dolphins communicate

A bottlenosed dolphin, with it's head popping out of the water of a pool, has its mouth open.

Captive bottlenosed dolphins appear to use smile-like expressions when playing with others, leading one research team to wonder if the cetaceans are doing something like a human laugh.

PacoRomero/E+/Getty Images

By Gennaro Tomma

Dolphins are known for what appear to be big, contagious smiles. But do they actually, well, smile?

The answer, according to a new study of dolphin play, is a resounding “maybe.”