The Amazing Dolphin Trick

We all knew dolphins are playful, but blowing bubbles? And then turning those bubbles into spinning rings? See the footage below:


And here's an explanation someone sent, "these silver rings...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 the bubbles from rising for a reasonably few seconds of play time."

Flipper, the Heavyweight

"Yeah, it was throwing some good punches. Mike Tyson couldn’t hit harder than that.”

Surprisingly, the above statement, which comes from 64-year old Norman Howard, is about a dolphin. Last Thursday, near New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a 400-pound dolphin plunged into an 18-foot boat, and landed on top of Howard and his wife's laps, injuring both with blows from his massive tail.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued the bloodied passengers after witnesses called 911. Both Norman and his wife, Barbara, were treated for facial lacerations at Bert Fish Medical Center. Norman also suffered from abdominal injuries. The dolphin was eventually rolled back into the Intracoastal Waterway.

Between last week's shark brawl and this week's dolphin sucker punch, one can only hope that by next week, nobody ends up in a half nelson with a whale.