Editing Dolphin (section)

===Tail-walking===
Although this behaviour is highly unusual in wild dolphins, several [[Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin]]s (''Tursiops aduncus'') of the [[Port River]], north of [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], have been seen to have exhibit "tail-walking".<ref name=dd2018/><ref name=study2018>{{cite journal|vauthors=Bossley M, Steiner A, Brakes P, Shrimpton J, Foster C, Rendell L |title=Tail walking in a bottlenose dolphin community: the rise and fall of an arbitrary cultural 'fad'. |journal= [[Biol. Lett.]] |date= September 2018 |volume= 14| issue=9| doi= 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0314| pmid= 30185606| pmc= 6170752}}</ref> This activity mimicks a standing posture, using the tail to run backwards along the water.<ref name=mess2018>{{cite web| url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/west-beaches/the-incredible-tale-of-billie-the-port-river-dolphin-the-worlds-first-wild-tailwalker/news-story/8cae9ccf3771a93e149cbd2e62fb1b27| website= [[Adelaide Now]]| title=The incredible tale of Billie the Port River dolphin — the world's first wild tailwalker| series= Portside Messenger | date=9 May 2018| first=Ashleigh |last=Pisani}}</ref> To perform this movement, the dolphin "forces the majority of its body vertically out of the water and maintains the position by vigorously pumping its tail".<ref name=study2018/>

This started in 1988 when a female named Billie was rescued after becoming trapped in a polluted [[marina]],<ref name="Sutton 2022">{{cite web | last=Sutton | first=Malcolm | title=Why are the dolphins dying? | website=ABC News| publisher= Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=4 April 2022 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-04/dolphin-deaths-mystery-adelaide-dolphin-sanctuary/100795994 | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref> and spent two weeks recuperating with captive dolphins. Billie had previously been observed swimming and frolicking with [[racehorse]]s exercising in the Port River in the 1980s. After becoming trapped in a reedy estuary further down the coast, she was rescued and placed with several captive dolphins at a marine park to recuperate. There she observed the captive dolphins performing tail-walking.<ref name=mess2018/> After being returned to the Port River, she continued to perform this trick, and another dolphin, Wave, copied her. Wave, a very active tail-walker, passed on the skill to her daughters, Ripple and Tallula.<ref name=dd2018>{{cite web | title=Billie | website=Dolphin Dock | date=15 February 2018 | url=https://www.dolphindock.com.au/meet-the-dolphins/billie/ | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref>

After Billie's premature death, Wave started tail-walking much more frequently, and other dolphins in the group were observed also performing the behaviour.<ref name=study2018/> In 2011, up to 12 dolphins were observed tail-walking, but only females appeared to learn the skill.<ref name=gentside>{{cite web | title=The amazing story of Billie, the dolphin who taught her peers how to moonwalk | website=Gentside UK | date=15 October 2018 | url=https://www.gentside.co.uk/animal/the-amazing-story-of-billie-the-dolphin-who-taught-her-peers-how-to-moonwalk_art1800.html | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref> In October 2021, a dolphin was observed tail-walking over a number of hours.<ref name="Sutton 2022"/>

Scientists have found the spread of this behaviour, through up to two generations, surprising, as it brings no apparent advantage, and is very energy-consuming.<ref name=gentside/> A 2018 study by Mike Rossley et al. suggested:<ref name=dd2018/>{{blockquote|Social learning is the most likely mechanism for the introduction and spread of this unusual behaviour, which has no known adaptive function. These observations demonstrate the potential strength of the capacity for spontaneous imitation in bottlenose dolphins, and help explain the origin and spread of foraging specializations observed in multiple populations of this genus.}}