Being a Dad in the Animal World
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Bai Yi spent a whole day figuring out what he had become now.
The first thing he saw wasn’t a fish tail, but a dolphin’s tail.
He was no longer a big lion but a pink dolphin with a very girly color.
Of course, apart from the Amazon river dolphins, there’s another beloved species of pink dolphins—the Chinese white dolphin.
They are known as 'mermaids' and 'aquatic pandas'
As the names suggest, the former is because these dolphins are beautiful, with their bodies showing a pinkish-white hue, resembling mermaids swimming in the water.
The latter is because these dolphins are rare, even rarer than pandas, hence the title “aquatic pandas.”
Despite the word “Chinese” in its name, this dolphin isn’t exclusive to China. It was just first discovered in China when a researcher came to collect samples, which is why it was named as such.
These dolphins are mostly found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.
In China, they are commonly seen in the East China Sea.
At the moment, Bai Yi isn’t in any of these regions. He’s off the coast of Mozambique.
As everyone knows, this is a paradise for bottlenose dolphins, a species widely recognized for their openness in sexual behavior.
As for how Bai Yi knew he was off the coast of Mozambique, it’s because he’s the only odd one out here. All the other dolphins are uniformly gray, while he stands out.
His uniqueness also lies in his rarity, which easily attracts researchers in this field.
Not far from him, on a boat, a researcher studying pink dolphins might be explaining something to the media.
“It’s rare to see a Chinese white dolphin off the coast of Mozambique. Why this little pink cutie is here is still under investigation. If we can introduce this dolphin into our field, it would be incredibly exciting. He’s adapting well, but he’s not very social.”
Bai Yi silently complained in his heart. A dolphin wandering alone in a foreign place is bound to be unsocial. Besides, dolphins are quite intelligent, and the bottlenose dolphins here would naturally exclude him, a rare species.
It’s not that he’s unsocial; it’s that the other dolphins won’t let him join.
Forced into solitude.
But perhaps this dolphin, who accidentally wandered into someone else’s territory, also knows how precious he is, so he looks down on these ordinary dolphins.
This thought made Bai Yi want to laugh. What was he thinking? Although he’s indeed precious now, a key protected species, not having any companions is a terrifying thing, right?
The top priority is to find companions.
He has no idea how much time has passed since his previous life or what happened to Jason. Looking at his current situation, it’s clear he can’t return to the Maasai Mara.
Then, his bond with Jason would have no continuation.
Thinking about it was quite sad. The only consolation was that Jason didn’t know when he died. He had run so far away that Jason would never find him again.
This was the last bit of tenderness he left for Jason.
Their bond ended here.
Bai Yi didn’t feel regret or remorse.
When they were together, they gave their all to live each day to the fullest, never wasting a single moment.
When they weren’t busy, they were either being affectionate or making love. It also made him realize how many times a lion could do it in a day.
In his youthful vigor, Jason never gave him a second of rest.
Later, perhaps realizing Bai Yi was getting older, Jason became less frequent.
Bai Yi was glad he wasn’t female, or he would have no idea how many litters he would have had with that guy.
Thinking about Jason still brought a sense of loss, because he knew there would never be another cub who adored him so wholeheartedly.
Still, being cherished by the cub he raised for a lifetime was worth it.
Now he had a new life, a continuation of his existence, and he had to strive to survive.
Jason would remain a beautiful memory, forever alive in his heart.
Although dolphins live in water, they are mammals and breathe with lungs.
Adult dolphins need to surface every 15 minutes or so to breathe fresh air, while young dolphins must surface every two minutes.
Dolphins are creatures that can be both adorable and mind-blowingly shocking.
Despite having intelligence comparable to human children, they still follow their animal instincts when it comes to sex.
Their sexual lives are incredibly diverse.
Even bottlenose dolphins can engage in thrilling cross-species romances.
Most of the shameless dolphins you see in the news, capable of "raising their brothers" toward humans, are bottlenose dolphins.
Bai Yi thought, "In the end, these dolphins are reaching above their station. A rare species like me has to mingle with them."
In the eyes of humans, Bai Yi was a rare aquatic panda, but in the eyes of dolphins, he was an oddity. This was the main reason the researcher said he wasn’t social.
To prove his social skills, Bai Yi decided to make friends with a couple of bottlenose dolphins.
First, because dolphins hunting in groups have a higher success rate, while hunting alone is much harder.
Second, because surviving alone in the ocean is too difficult for a dolphin. Having a friend would provide some support.
So he targeted a family of three.
Yes, a family of three.
In this area, dolphins usually appeared in groups. Female dolphins would stay with their calves, while male dolphins would hang out with their "bros," staying away from the females, living a carefree life.
The unique pink dolphin Bai Yi discovered a unique family.
In this family, a male and female dolphin were preparing to hunt in the shallows with their calf.
Their calf looked like it had only been born a few days ago, with wrinkles still visible on its body, showing white in the folds.
But it was adorable.
As a human, he had seen adult dolphins but never a baby dolphin up close.
While the pink dolphin Bai Yi was eyeing someone else’s calf, he didn’t realize humans were eyeing him too.
This pink dolphin was a local celebrity. He had been here for about a month, likely abandoned by poachers, but his presence was seen as a symbol of good luck by the locals, making him particularly famous.
The local dolphin research institute monitored his vital signs daily. Since he was so conspicuous, it was easy to spot him.
They didn’t even need a tracker.
Even the fishermen often saw this dolphin and would greet him when they did. The highly intelligent dolphin would even play behind fishing boats, which was undeniably adorable.
This pink dolphin had become a landmark along the coast of Mozambique.
Many local fans would wait at a distance for him to appear, then take photos with him and check in at the shore.
"Wow, this dolphin is so dreamy. It’s so beautiful."
"The title 'aquatic panda' isn’t for nothing. Do you think he knows he’s a rare species?"
"Probably not. Even though he’s highly intelligent, he’s still just an animal."
"I hope he stays there forever and never leaves, bringing us good luck."
The celebrity dolphin’s status came with constant tracking. In the shallows, Bai Yi encountered various human inventions—'deep-sea spies'
These 'spies' were used to capture his daily life up close, a common technique employed by wildlife researchers.
However, Bai Yi had no time to worry about that now. His current goal was to befriend the family of three and join them during their hunting time to fill his stomach.
His stomach was growling with hunger.
Even though he was a celebrity dolphin, he still had to face the problem of hunger.
Humans wouldn’t feed him, so he had to rely on himself to hunt in the ocean.
Dolphins have excellent vision underwater, and they emit sound waves from their foreheads, using echolocation to sense their surroundings. This ability allows them to detect things both within and beyond their visual range.
For example, they can use ultrasonic echoes to locate food hidden in the sand.
So any creatures trying to play "hide and seek" with dolphins are simply wasting their time.
Bai Yi followed the family of three, who were clearly heading to deeper waters to hunt. They were trailing behind a few stingrays.
Stingrays are relatively large fish with flat bodies, resembling a large, wrinkle-free fan.
The two adult dolphins led their precious calf into the deep sea, with Bai Yi following closely behind.
Like many animals, he instinctively knew that following them would lead to a good meal.
Stingrays use electroreceptors in their bodies to detect the electric currents emitted by other creatures, allowing them to locate food even when it’s buried in the sand.
Dolphins, on the other hand, use echolocation to sense the shape and size of objects.
As expected, the dolphin couple followed the stingrays to a good hunting spot and began attacking the creatures hidden in the sand.
Bai Yi imitated their behavior and managed to catch some food from the sandy seabed.
It tasted like fish.
After eating his fill with the help of the couple, they had stayed on the seabed long enough and needed to surface for air.
The adorable little dolphin held out for quite a while, only following its mother’s tail to swim to the surface after its parents left.
The neighboring dolphin had been watching Bai Yi for a while, as his color was too eye-catching, causing the dolphin to glance back frequently.
Finally, near the surface, this dolphin swam over to Bai Yi, who felt a bit nervous.
At first, the dolphin just found him strange and touched Bai Yi with its long snout. Bai Yi didn’t respond.
He was pondering a question: Dolphins have a unique way of showing affection, whether to the same or opposite sex. Especially bottlenose dolphins, who even use the same behavior to show affection to cross-species creatures.
And this behavior is…
Before he could finish the thought, the male dolphin expressed its affection in a very special way.
Bai Yi: "..."
Yes, their way of expressing affection is quite unique, using their private parts to touch others.
If you want to respond to their affection, you can help them out. If not, you can ignore it.
So, Bai Yi was now in a dilemma. Should he respond or not?
This was a serious question.
Hey, buddy, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The deep sea is full of 'spies' and your 'affectionate' behavior might already be broadcasted.
Can we protect our privacy here, buddy?
Bai Yi definitely ignored his lewd behavior.
It’s often said that dolphins are the most promiscuous mammals in the world. Bai Yi had always seen news about dolphins doing this and that but had never witnessed it firsthand, so he still thought dolphins were the cutest creatures in the ocean.
But now, seeing this dolphin circling him and rubbing against him, Bai Yi had an epiphany. The internet didn’t lie!
Dolphins always look cute, no matter the situation, with their perpetual smiling faces, which adds another layer to their charm.
So, aside from being lewd, dolphins are still quite therapeutic.
Little did Bai Yi know, while he was criticizing other dolphins, he himself was no different. In fact, his therapeutic abilities might be even stronger than the average dolphin.
But Bai Yi didn’t care. Right now, he felt that the newly born dolphin was his true source of healing.
He was a tiny little thing, looking absolutely adorable, with the white folds on his body still intact. It was clear he had only been born recently. These folds were formed while he was in his mother’s womb and would gradually disappear as he grew.
Ah, how he wanted to ruffle the little dolphin!
Bai Yi’s heart was filled with longing.
However, it was obvious that the little dolphin’s mother wouldn’t let him get too close.
She provided 100% protection for her calf.
The brother dolphin kept rubbing against Bai Yi, and it was becoming unbearable. Bai Yi finally flicked his tail, splashing water all over the dolphin.
For heaven’s sake, enough is enough. A little rubbing is fine, but don’t overdo it.
Because Bai Yi had splashed him, the brother dolphin seemed upset. He started grumbling and splashing water back at Bai Yi.
The gray and pink dolphins began a water-splashing battle, grumbling at each other as they went. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were playing.
Yet, after all this commotion, Bai Yi and the gray brother dolphin somehow managed to form an unexpected friendship.
As everyone knows, dolphins may look cute, but male dolphins never take care of their young. After reaching sexual maturity, they find a mate, and once the female becomes pregnant, the male leaves to continue his carefree life.
So this male dolphin’s behavior was quite unusual.
But that wasn’t what bothered Bai Yi. What bothered him was the way dolphins showed affection. If you wanted to rub against me with your cute, silly head, I wouldn’t say a word. But why do you keep using that to rub against me?
Just because I was gayed by a male lion in my past life doesn’t mean I’ll accept you!
Have you even looked at yourself? Have you seen what I look like?
I’m a rare species, so get lost!
Bai Yi flicked his tail at the brother dolphin again, but the dolphin only seemed more excited. He made a series of sounds, almost as if he were laughing.
He burst out of the water, spinning, leaping, and then crashing back into the sea, chattering excitedly around Bai Yi.
Bai Yi: "..."
What’s there to be so happy about?
This brother dolphin’s actions perfectly illustrated the saying "extreme joy begets sorrow."
During the day, he and Bai Yi had formed a deep friendship. The two dolphins spent the entire day together, and even during hunting, the brother dolphin circled around Bai Yi, completely ignoring his own mate and calf.
As for Bai Yi, his only desire was to ruffle the little dolphin, so he actively tried to befriend the mother, hoping for a chance to interact with the calf.
Dinner went smoothly, but at night, something unexpected happened.
As everyone knows, dolphins sleep with one hemisphere of their brain at a time, alternating between the two.
This means they are always swimming, with one half of their brain resting while the other remains awake.
This also allows them to effectively avoid incoming dangers.
On this particular night, which had been calm, some untimely noises startled Bai Yi.
He had been keeping a certain distance from the couple, so when the commotion started, Bai Yi hurriedly swam over to investigate.
The sound of a dolphin’s scream sent a shiver down Bai Yi’s spine. He swam toward the source and saw lights on the water’s surface, along with human voices.
They were hunting dolphins. Bai Yi was terrified and unsure of what to do. Blood was already spreading in the water, coming from the direction of the couple!
After swimming for a while, Bai Yi encountered a massive fishing net. He quickly turned to escape, but after putting some distance between himself and the net, he looked back toward the couple’s direction and saw a small gray dolphin swimming toward him.
The little dolphin, now orphaned, cried out in distress, panicking.
Soon, the smell of blood filled the water. Bai Yi knew the couple had been killed.
The little dolphin wandered aimlessly, wailing in grief. Bai Yi hurried over and encircled the calf with his body, hoping to let it know that it wasn’t alone.
It seemed the little dolphin had found a sense of security. Just as it used to follow its mother, it now followed behind Bai Yi’s tail.
Bai Yi swam in circles, and the calf did the same.
Bai Yi then tried to lead the calf away from the blood-filled waters. Fortunately, the little one followed.
Dolphins typically identify each other through sound, as each dolphin’s voice is unique and serves as their signature.
Bai Yi had spent the entire day with the family of three, so his voice was already familiar to the calf. The little dolphin saw him as a friend of its parents.
That’s why it followed him, hoping to find its mother.
But its mother would never return.
They had been killed. Bai Yi led the calf away from the slaughter.
Once he felt they were far enough, Bai Yi surfaced and looked toward the fishing boat’s lights.
They were secretly hunting dolphins in the dead of night.
In reality, dolphin meat is inedible due to its high mercury content. Consuming too much dolphin meat can lead to cancer and birth defects.
However, some unscrupulous businesses pass off dolphin meat as whale meat, especially in a certain island nation known for its comfortable lifestyle. Ninety percent of the so-called "whale meat" in their markets is actually dolphin meat.
People who eat dolphin meat may experience genetic mutations to some extent.
These adorable creatures are the ocean’s purifiers, yet humans serve them on their dining tables as delicacies.
Retribution will come. The physical deterioration of the human body is nature’s ultimate punishment for such cruelty.
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Author’s Note: Jason: "Bro, this time I’m a bottlenose dolphin, hehe, hehehe..." (﹃?)
Bai Yi: "...What a disaster!"
Electroreceptors: Specialized sensory organs in some animals (like sharks and stingrays) that detect electric fields generated by other organisms, helping them locate prey.
Echolocation: A biological sonar used by animals (like dolphins and bats) to navigate and hunt by emitting sound waves and interpreting the echoes.
The Mozambique coast is located on the southeastern coast of the African continent.
Chinese white dolphin, Their body is reddish white, which gives them a pink appearance.