Rotational swimming tendencies in the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Anecdotal evidence suggests that dolphins placed in a pool exhibit stereotypic swimming in circles. The present study confirmed these observations in a sample of thirteen dolphins. The majority of dolphins (84.6%) showed highly consistent directional swimming in counterclockwise circles. The latter directionality held throughout the circadian cycle and resisted environmental manipulations. Only social interaction was capable of altering the directionality of circumnavigation. The consistency of unidirectional swimming is considered paradoxical in view of the existing evidence regarding the alternating of hemispheric activity in sleeping dolphins.