Which Australian dolphin is known for using marine sponges as tools while foraging?

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is the Australian dolphin known for using marine sponges as tools while foraging.

In Shark Bay, Western Australia, some dolphins carry cone-shaped marine sponges on their beaks while searching the seafloor. The sponge helps protect the sensitive rostrum as the dolphin probes sandy bottoms for fish. This behaviour is most often observed in a particular population and is passed socially, especially from mothers to calves.

Tool use makes these dolphins a notable example of animal culture: a learned behaviour that spreads within a community rather than being explained only by anatomy. Not every dolphin uses a sponge, and individuals can employ different feeding strategies.

The species was formerly grouped broadly with other bottlenose dolphins, but modern research recognizes the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin as distinct from the common bottlenose dolphin in many classifications.