The Shark And Dolphin Face-Off

Its most common wisdom amongst surfers that where there is a pod of dolphins frolicking around the Sharks won't venture in that area. There are also many reasons associated with this school of thought. It is said that Sharks do look out for Dolphins before venturing into the area. It is quite amazing to know that a predator like the shark could be wary of the friendly looking and fun loving dolphins.
However, there are certain facts why sharks avoid dolphins. Dolphins have flexible skeletal joints and soft skin which makes it easy for them to maneuver faster than the sharks that have more cartilage in case they get into a fight. The vertical plane of the shark restricts its upward and downward mobility, while on the other hand the dolphins have horizontal tails that allows them to be more agile and change directions easily when attacked. The snout of the dolphin is its strongest point and they can batter the soft underbelly of the shark by attacking them at great speed with their strong snout causing serious internal injuries. While sharks are solitary predators, dolphins move in groups or pods and whenever any member of the pod is in danger they all rush to defend their mate. There also have been many recorded instances where dolphins have saved humans from shark attacks. The Orcas which happen to be the largest member of the dolphin family have been known to hunt down sharks when there is scarcity of food. Sharks hunt for all creatures that are smaller than them and they often attack a baby dolphin which leads to an angry pod of dolphins attacking the shark, while trying to save their babies. Dolphins are also the one of the smartest animals on earth and have brilliant echolocation abilities as well as great speed. If a lone dolphin is attacked it can send messages to other members who immediately come to the rescue. Plus chasing them is not easy for the shark as the sharks cannot swim as fast as the dolphins.
However, all these facts do not necessarily mean that sharks do not venture where dolphins are. As shark expert Andrew Nosal at the University of San Diego explains. According to him both sharks and dolphins are carnivores and hunt at the same spots. According to Andrew, Dolphin and shark face off is more of an exception than the norm.

Dolphins have always been a favorite of humans and the popular television series "Flipper" which is a story about two boys and their pet dolphin was actually guilty of creating an image of dolphins scaring away sharks, as the show depicted the pet dolphin fiercely scaring away the sharks from his beloved owners. This isn't true and swimmers and surfers should be careful as "Flipper" the dolphin in the series isn't an accurate depiction of dolphin behavior.

Though the odds of getting attacked by a shark are not a common occurrence however, one must avoid swimming when visibility is low. One should swim when there are other people are around and try to frequent beaches that have a lifeguard on duty.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena
Content: https://www.livescience.com/65957-dolphin-shark-myth.html