Dolphin Blowing Rings

May 11th, 2010


This video is of dolphins playing with silver colored rings which they have the ability to make under water to play with. It isn’t known how they learn this, or if they’re born with the ability. As if by magic, the dolphin does a quick flip of its head and a silver ring appears in front of its beak. The ring is a solid, donut shaped bubble about 2-ft across, yet it doesn’t rise to the surface of the water. It stands upright in the water like a magic doorway to an unseen dimension. The dolphin then pulls a small silver donut from the larger one. Looking at the twisting ring for one last time, a bite is taken from it, causing the small ring to collapse into thousands of tiny bubbles which head upward towards the water’s surface. After a few moments the dolphin creates another ring to play with. There also seems to be a separate mechanism for producing small rings, which a dolphin can accomplish by a quick flip of its head. An explanation of how dolphins make these silver rings is that they are “air-core vortex rings”. Invisible, spinning vortices in the water are generated from the tip of a dolphin’s dorsal fin when it is moving rapidly and turning. When dolphins break the line, the ends are drawn together into a closed ring. The higher velocity fluid around the core of the vortex is at a lower pressure than the fluid circulating farther away. Air is injected into the rings via bubbles released from the dolphin’s blowhole. The energy of the water vortex is enough to keep

16 Responses to “Dolphin Blowing Rings”

  1. Missnoopuka says:

    People should be all kinds of animals left alone. Free animals from captivity. If you need to make them, they feel at home. Keep them happy :-)

  2. hunterswine says:

    Wow, beautiful! That made my day. . . thx

  3. player12328 says:

    Dolphin on drugs lol

  4. Danue333 says:

    I wish people could just dolphins and whales alone. As with any mammal, it should be free in their own habitat. . . Thanks for the video-sharing. . :)

  5. Indigozek says:

    You are probably so that drilled into the tank. These intelligent animals.

  6. sharingan510 says:

    Dolphins. . . the U-Bahn houdinis

  7. Pookiebinx says:

    as they are done. . . . .

  8. Kittylover82 says:

    I love dolphins! This video is great and lovable. . . lol they r eating the bubbles =)

  9. aldebaran899 says:

    omg!

  10. nsolevi says:

    I wish I could do that

  11. erikbrockhoff says:

    That was effing nuts!

  12. Tanavids says:

    Dolphins are so much cooler than people.

  13. Tanavids says:

    It’s from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – the original. “The Candy Man can ‘

  14. Tanavids says:

    It’s from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – the original. “The Candy Man can ‘

  15. zentharps says:

    I want to know the music well. It is of some movie, but Ican’t remember what!

  16. marklandells says:

    Does anyone know the music playing in the background?

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