Dolphins get high by chewing on pufferfish and passing them around

Yet another awesome discovery about dolphins show that they get recreationally high by seeking out pufferfish, catching them in their mouths and swimming around with them.

The pufferfish, when in trouble, balloons and discharges a neurotoxic chemical.  In small doses, the chemical can kill, but in the small doses absorbed by the dolphins, it just gets them high as hell.

The chemical is produces a narcotic-like effect and the dolphins seem to have figured out how to get just enough of it to feel the buzz without taking damage.

Produced for BBC One by the award-winning wildlife documentary producer John Downer, these stunning images show the dolphins going at it and loving every minute.  Sucks for the pufferfish, but they let him go once they get high.

Rob Pilley, a zoologist working as a producer on the show, said “this was a case of young dolphins purposely experimenting with something we know to be intoxicating.

“After chewing the puffer gently and passing it round, they began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection.

“It reminded us of that craze a few years ago when people started licking toads to get a buzz, especially the way they hung there in a daze afterwards. It was the most extraordinary thing to see.”