A dolphin with a kind of “thumb” on its fins was found off the coast of Greece, leaving scientists quite puzzled.
+ Artificial intelligence may be behind wrongful bans on Instagram
The unusually looking dolphin was spotted in the Gulf of Corinth among a mix of various dolphin species, including common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), and striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba).
The Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute was the first to spot the strange-looking mammal, which was seen twice while the group was conducting boat-based research and studying the species.
Alexandros Frantzis, president of the research institute, noted that although the dolphin has this unusual feature, it didn’t stop it from keeping up with the rest of the group. According to him, its deformed fin is likely “the expression of some rare and ‘irregular’ genes.”
“This was the first time we saw this surprising fin morphology in 30 years of open-sea research, and also in studies conducted during the monitoring of all stranded dolphins along the Greek coast over 30 years,” he told Live Science.
Lisa Noelle Cooper, a mammal specialist, also believes that the “thumb” feature could be due to the dolphin’s genes. “I’ve never seen a cetacean fin shaped like that,” she explained to Live Science.
“Considering that the defect is present on both the left and right fins, it is probably the result of an altered genetic program that shapes the fin during the calf’s development. Normally, dolphins develop fingers inside the fin and no cells between the fingers die.”
However, it seems that this dolphin’s development was different. “It looks to me like the cells that would normally have formed the equivalent of our index and middle fingers died in a strange event when the fin was forming while the calf was still in the womb,” Cooper theorized.
But could the dolphin use the “thumb” like humans do? Experts said this is unlikely. “The hook-shaped ‘thumb’ may have some bone inside, but it is certainly not mobile,” said Cooper.
Fortunately, even with the genetic defect in its fins, it seems that this isn’t preventing the dolphin from living its best life with its dolphin companions. “It’s beautiful to see that this animal is thriving.”
Photos: Alexandros Frantzis/Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute | Pexels. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
