Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins use echolocation clicks to navigate and hunt in murky water, but research suggests they may also use focused sound to stun prey. Observations document dolphins emitting intense buzz clicks immediately before prey capture, and stunned fish briefly immobilized during hunting passes. While debate continues about whether this represents intentional stunning or side effect of close-range echolocation, the acoustic system clearly serves multiple hunting functions.

Dolphin echolocation is remarkably sophisticated. They can determine fish species by the acoustic signature of swim bladders, detect buried prey under sand, and coordinate with pod members through clicks. The melon (fatty forehead structure) focuses sound into directed beams that can be aimed with head movement. Like sperm whales, dolphins evolved significant biological hardware dedicated to acoustic sensing and potential weapon capability.

For business, dolphins represent dual-use sensing systems that provide intelligence and may enable offensive capability. Customer service interactions generate data (echolocation) that might be used competitively (stunning). Platform analytics reveal user behavior that could inform product development or be deployed against competitors. The ethical question - whether using sensing data for competitive attack is appropriate - mirrors the biological uncertainty about whether dolphins intentionally stun prey or simply scan with collateral effect.