Navy SEAL Dolphins (and you thought mine detection rats were weird)
There is so much we do not know about this world. An excerpt from today's Slate Explainer:
"The U.S. Navy already uses this technique with the minesweeping dolphins in its Marine Mammal Program. These animals wear radio beacons attached to their pectoral fins in case they get lost on a mission. The beacon sits on a nylon belt with a plastic clip that's fitted for each dolphin. The belt comes with a special link that slowly dissolves in seawater. If the dolphin gets so far from the Navy ship that it'll never be recovered, the belt (and beacon) eventually fall off and leave the animal unencumbered in the wild.
"Military dolphins also carry special equipment with their noses and mouths. In the 1980s, the Marine Mammal Program developed a cup system that could be placed over the animal's nose. The device tows a long, thin "banana float." When the dolphin finds an underwater mine, it's trained to jerk its nose out of the cup, which triggers the banana float to break open. One part attaches to the mine while the other sends a marker up to the surface.
"Starting with the Gulf War, dolphins have been using radio transmitters instead of banana floats. These attach to hard rubber biteplates that each animal carries in its mouth. By pushing the front of the biteplate against a mine, the dolphin can deposit the tracking device.
"Dolphins and sea lions are also trained to use biteplate systems to mark or capture waterborne intruders. When they spot an enemy diver underwater, they can poke him with a biteplate to release a strobe-light beacon. They might also carry C-shaped clamps that snap shut on a diver's leg. Once a dolphin cuffs the diver, it swims back to its handler with a tether line."
"The U.S. Navy already uses this technique with the minesweeping dolphins in its Marine Mammal Program. These animals wear radio beacons attached to their pectoral fins in case they get lost on a mission. The beacon sits on a nylon belt with a plastic clip that's fitted for each dolphin. The belt comes with a special link that slowly dissolves in seawater. If the dolphin gets so far from the Navy ship that it'll never be recovered, the belt (and beacon) eventually fall off and leave the animal unencumbered in the wild.
"Military dolphins also carry special equipment with their noses and mouths. In the 1980s, the Marine Mammal Program developed a cup system that could be placed over the animal's nose. The device tows a long, thin "banana float." When the dolphin finds an underwater mine, it's trained to jerk its nose out of the cup, which triggers the banana float to break open. One part attaches to the mine while the other sends a marker up to the surface.
"Starting with the Gulf War, dolphins have been using radio transmitters instead of banana floats. These attach to hard rubber biteplates that each animal carries in its mouth. By pushing the front of the biteplate against a mine, the dolphin can deposit the tracking device.
"Dolphins and sea lions are also trained to use biteplate systems to mark or capture waterborne intruders. When they spot an enemy diver underwater, they can poke him with a biteplate to release a strobe-light beacon. They might also carry C-shaped clamps that snap shut on a diver's leg. Once a dolphin cuffs the diver, it swims back to its handler with a tether line."