Researchers in Greece Discover Dolphins with Thumbs
Researchers with the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute spotted a dolphin with thumbs on two separate occasions off the coat of Greece. This is not a drill.
It is with great dismay that I bring you this breaking news and I would like to note that I am not responsible for any nightmares that happen after reading this.
Alexandros Frantzis, the scientific coordinator and president of the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute told Live Science "The unusual flipper "does not look like illness at all," Frantzis said. Instead, it may be "the expression of some rare and 'irregular' genes" that cropped up due to constant interbreeding, he said."
Related: New Research Shows That Dolphins Baby Talk To Their Calves
Yes, nature is a miracle and dolphins are absolutely incredible creatures and this news is fascinating.. but now all I can think about is how smart dolphins are and how this is just one small step before they start using cell phones and texting us messages all day long.
Exactly how smart are dolphins?
Science explains, "Researchers have been exploring the question for 3 decades, and the answer, it turns out, is pretty darn smart. In fact, according to panelist Lori Marino, an expert on cetacean neuroanatomy at Emory University in Atlanta, they may be Earth's second smartest creature (next to humans, of course)."
Dolphins are not only smart, but they aren't as totes adorbs as we think they are. Actually, dolphins have been known to kill baby dolphins, attack swimmers, and they aren't very gentlemanly when it comes to mating with lady dolphins.
I don't know about y'all, but I'm not so eager for dolphins to evolve this way. Once they develop thumbs, I hope they only use them to give us humans a happy thumbs up when they see us.
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