Dolphins are praised for their intelligence and apparent friendliness. They are loved worldwide because they are playful and have a certain thing that makes them stand out. And while they can do a lot of interesting things and have a lot of good qualities to them, dolphins also have a dark side to them. A very dark side. And while not all dolphins do these bad things, some of them do especially male dolphins.

BEWARE: you’ll never look at dolphins the same way again after you read this. You’ve been warned! Dolphins might seem like happy, loveable creatures that like to play with humans but the reality is something from the land of nightmares.

1. Dolphins can get sexually frustrated and if this happens they go wild

Dolphins have been known to go on killing sprees (usually attacking porpoises) when they are frustrated sexually. In most cases, the attackers are young dolphins that will ram the poor porpoises until they are dead. Why do they do this? It seems because dolphins don’t have thumbs so they can’t, well, get rid of their sexual frustrations like we humans do. So, instead they ram porpoises which seems to have a similar effect? They have also been observed to play with the corpses of their kills (porpoises) so there’s that. If you thought dolphins are nice and cuddly, think again.

2. When they’re not out killing poises they might try groping humans

There have been recorded cases of dolphins touching humans in inappropriate ways. The idea is that they don’t shy away from such things if they get horny. Google is your friend for this 😉

3. Dolphins often kill their own offspring just so they can mate with their mother!

From what we know, dolphins are among the few animals that kill for fun. Male dolphins kill their babies in an attempt to get their females to once again want to mate with them. It’s an ingenious (although deadly) strategy.

4. Dolphins have been observed killing baby porpoises

Why do they do this? Because baby porpoises resemble baby dolphins and sometimes male dolphins mix them up and think they are their own offspring! And we already know what they tend to do to their offspring…

5. Sometimes dolphins just attack or kill for fun

Whether it’s baby porpoises and adult porpoises or other animals, dolphins may attack and even kill them just because they can. They’ve been observed picking on smaller creatures with no apparent reason. You might not have expected the loveable dolphins to do such things but they do.

6. Dolphins can be very aggressive sexual-wise

They have been observed trying to force females to mate, even ganging up on them during this time. Male dolphins can even hit and harm females while trying to mate. We were as shocked as you when we found out they did this.

7. Dolphins can stay awake for days or even weeks on end

They can do this because their brain is formed of two halves and they can… hold onto your hats… have one half asleep while the other is awake! Sounds strange? Yes, it is. And while this happens they seem to be ok and have plenty of stamina.

8. Dolphins hunt both for food and for the hunt

They like to hunt in pairs and find new and inventive ways to catch their prey. It seems they really like hunting, just like hunters who hunt for pleasure not because they need to.

9. Dolphins have STDs and lots of them

We’re pretty sure you didn’t learn this in school, did you now? They are known to transfer all sorts of “goodies” to their partners.

10. Dolphins like to get it on

They have been observed inserting their sexual organs inside the blowholes of other dolphins. Yeah, read that one again.

11. Dolphins can get high

They do this by grabbing puffer fish for some time and then leaving it and enjoying the effects of the toxins just released. In lower doses the toxin from puffer fish acts like a drug and dolphins know this and use it to their liking.

Other interesting facts about dolphins

Dolphins can use tools

They have been seen picking up sponges and adding them to their snouts in an effort to (probably) protect themselves when going into hard to reach places or places that could hurt them otherwise. And we’re sure they use other tools as well but we just haven’t noticed it.

Each dolphin has his own personal whistle that others can recognize!

And dolphins recognize one another using these whistles. Scientists are studying and recording all the whistles and sounds dolphins make in an attempt to figure out their language. Could we one day learn to speak to dolphins and understand them?

We hope you’ve learned a few things about dolphins and that it wasn’t too upsetting to learn they do have a dark side to them. They have been positively portrayed by the media but it would have been better to know the full story, the good, the bad and the ugly. And again, there are plenty of videos online to show their dark instincts if you’d like to see for yourself.

Recommended reading next: The Ultimate List Of The 66 Weirdest Animals In The World

FAQ

Are dolphins colorblind?

Yes, they are most likely colorblind lacking the cones that enable color vision.

Why do dolphins look happy?

It’s just the way their face looks. For humans a smile means we are happy but dolphins just look that way and it doesn’t mean they are happy or that they are not.

Do dolphins have good memory?

Yes. They can remember things like activities, sounds or people for tens of years.

Do dolphins have 360 vision?

Yes. They can move their eyes independently from each other.