Bruck, who published two studies in 2022 showing that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) can identify friends through the taste of their urine, wonders if this could indicate a chemical communication system.
“We're seeing, perhaps, how river dolphins may do something that we've looked at in bottlenose,” he says.
The dolphins might use chemical signals to indicate identity, social status, and physical health, or this could be “just a funny thing they do,” says Bruck.
Protecting botos from harmThe study authors believe these findings could be important for efforts to protect endangered botos, and Bruck agrees.
If we're "dumping stuff in the water [and] they can't figure out the things they need to know to survive and reproduce,” says Bruck, “then that's very bad."

These adult male dolphins pee in the air. Scientists have questions.