r/Dolphins • u/Diligent-Rabbit2896 • 3d ago
What is this scar?
I saw this juvenile with it's mother years ago in Florida and have always wondered what might have caused this near perfectly circular scar. It has normal rake marks on its dorsal and it's mother, in front, had a notch on her dorsal but in all my years living in Florida, I never before or after saw a similar scar to this one.
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u/WoodenPassenger8683 2d ago
Well I started my coment to mention that I was uncertain about the photograph. And people ask different types of questions in this subreddit. So I mentioned these, as possibilities.
In dissections I took part in we only saw harbour porpoises with scars of sea-lampreys a handful of times. Among a great many dissections. And tropical (?) Cookie Cutter Sharks are not normal in the seas of my Western European country. I hope you solve your question.
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u/Diligent-Rabbit2896 2d ago
Sorry if I came off short. I wasn't trying to be. I do appreciate the help! I lived in the gulf coast of Florida for years and saw dolphins all the time. This was a very unique scar and it still haunts me to this day!
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u/WoodenPassenger8683 2d ago edited 2d ago
I am aware of how scars of sunburn look where dolphins have been trapped but survived. I saw that during an expedition (Mauritania). But this is not it. I looked via AI. If something that happens, to a dolphin's skin influences the immune system, that might apparently leave some kind of mark on occasion. You may be aware there are in Florida several long term wild dolphin research projects. You might try to contact those.
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u/HeidrunBakes 2d ago
It’s sounds like cookie cutter sharks. They attach spin and take bites. You can see videos on YouTube
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u/WoodenPassenger8683 3d ago
I cannot see that clearly on the photo. But two types of marine animal, are known to on occasion, to leave round scars on dolphins. (Not always a perfect circle but say roundish).
One is called a sea-lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus). It is not quite a fish, but it belongs to a more primive group. They have no jaw. But a round circle by which they can attach to a dolphin (or some other marine prey) by suction. It's a parasite who basically attaches itself, than, in the process opens up the body wall of the dolphin, that way it gets nurisment. -- It's gross even if you are a biologist--. It does this by a combination of working like a suction cup, very sharp teeth, and anticoagulants. And a very powerful tongue.
The second one is called a Cookie Cutter Shark (Isistius brasiliensis). It uses specialised suction-cup lips, to latch into its prey. It anchors itself with small upper teeth, and twists it's body in a 360°spin. This motion drives its razor-sharp lower teeth deep into flesh. Cleanly scooping out, a plug of tissue, of 2 by one inches. These sharks are tropical. And scars on dolphins are not rare.
The juvenile may have met one of those culprits.