Internet Amazed As Dolphin Swims Up to Boy—Then Starts 'Talking' to Him

A video of a dolphin spotted near Australian shores that was allegedly "separated from its mother and sick" has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip, which had over 970,000 views and 102,000 likes at the time of writing, was posted by TikToker @mischievously_wild. The footage was taken at O'Sullivan Beach Boat Ramp facility in Onkaparinga in South Australia.

A message overlaid on the clip read: "Dolphin swims right up to boy." The video showed a boy running across some large rocks towards the water's edge. The child was later heard saying "he was talking to me," as a dolphin was seen swimming away from the rocks.

In a later comment, the original poster said: "First time ever seeing a baby dolphin, it was honestly an amazing sight."

While it's unknown whether the dolphin was indeed speaking to the boy in the latest viral clip, we do know that dolphins are social animals, according to a June 2021 study, which provided the first empirical evidence of "the persistence of social behavioral traits over decades in a non-human animal."

The 32-year study of wild bottlenose dolphins, published in the peer-reviewed journal Communications Biology, found that "dolphins, long suspected of having personality, do indeed show the hallmarks of life-long social traits, perhaps more so than humans."

The findings of the study suggested that "a stable social syndrome shepherds the individual dolphin through substantial physiological and social changes as they move from dependency to adulthood."

A voice in the latest viral clip was heard saying "Oh my god," as the boy was seen heading towards the water's edge.

As the camera got closer to the water, the voice said: "It's stuck, is it? Oh my god."

The boy was heard saying: "It's talking to me," as the dolphin's fin was seen poking out of the water.

In a later comment, the original poster said the dolphin was "separated from its mother and sick."

According to a subsequent video shared by the original poster, the dolphin ended up "doing another lap of the marina and then swam straight into us," a woman said in the clip.

She said the dolphin tried "beaching itself in the rocks." Beaching refers to when a dolphin attempts to strand itself on land, usually a beach.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains stranded marine mammals sometimes come ashore, dead or alive. "They are often sick, injured, disoriented, or starving. They could have been exposed to pollution or a harmful algal bloom, entangled in fishing gear or marine debris, struck by a vessel or infected by a disease or parasite," the NOAA said.

If you come across a stranded marine mammal, "you can help the animal in distress by notifying your local stranding network and ensuring that no one disturbs the animal," the NOAA advised.

The woman in the subsequent video said: "We identified it [the dolphin] was injured, so we called animal rescue. It took quite some time for a response to be made."

The woman said: "Since this experience, we've learnt that if there's any mammal incident, call National Parks and Wildlife. They're able to make an assessment and attend the scene to be able to respond in a timely manner."

Several TikTok users were amazed by the latest dolphin encounter.

User @nichala.83x simply said: "Wow," to which the original poster replied: "Words barely explain how this made us feel to witness this."

Aly wrote: "You guys did the right thing, and what a wonderful memory for the both of you!"

Ann Unwin said: "A magical moment he'll remember forever," while user Shank101 wrote: "That was amazing."

Saoirsemeansfreedom said: "Beautiful capture on [camera] that's a special one," to which the original poster replied: "...it sure was a special experience!"

Newsweek has contacted the National Parks and Wildlife Service of South Australia as well as the original poster for comment via TikTok for comment. This video has not been independently verified.

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