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Sponge-Wielding Bottlenose Dolphin

A bottlenose dolphin carries a sponge, which it uses as a tool to dig up prey from the seafloor.
(Ewa Krzyszczyk, Public Library of Science)

A female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) carries a sponge, which it uses as a tool to dig up prey from the seafloor. The only dolphins known to use sponges as tools this way are the female members of a small group that live in Shark Bay, Australia. They pass the skill onto their daughters, but not their sons. Learn more at New Scientist.