Matt Morgan: Pods and wards—flipping through rotations

Some readers may remember Kathy. She filled my childhood Sunday afternoons as the main character in my favourite television show. She wasn’t a doctor; she wasn’t even a human. Kathy was an intelligent dolphin who helped solve local crimes like an underwater version of Lassie , in the 1960s series Flipper . But Kathy’s story had a difficult end because of the isolated, captive environment she lived and worked in. Dolphins, particularly bottlenose dolphins like Kathy, live in “fusion-fission” societies. These social structures have fluid group membership, with individuals frequently changing affiliation. Dolphins swim with one pod for a while before switching to a very different group, forming new alliances and relationships. This dynamic social structure allows them to adapt to changing environments, learn new skills, find mentors, and …