February 16, 2007: Artificial fluke

xoB finds this WaPo Day in Pics shot, a fine Friday image. This bottlenose dolphin named "Fuji" had a problem. In 2002 she developed a strange disease, and most of her fluke actually fell off.



Dolphins can get on okay without a complete fluke, but scientists at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium wanted to help her out, and also to learn more about dolphins and whether they can recover, and swim and get anong with other dolphins, if they receive the assistance of an artificial fin.

Thus, the fake fluke.



Attaching it and working with Fuji has been no easy task. Dolphins don't like to have artificial things attached to them, so Fuji had to be trained to allow people to attach the thing, and not to reject it once attached.

Aquarium page in English explaining her treatment

I hear the male dolphins are all swarming around her and the other females are all bitching because she had a fin job.

Heh - I was expecting something to do with what are also known as "summer flounder"

Undertoad;316280 wrote:

Attaching it and working with Fuji has been no easy task.

And I don't think they'll be able to do it again. The first time was obviously a ________.

[brandishing] wet noodle [/brandishing]
Quit it you! :D

Oh boy! I get to be the first to say something like, "Damn, no fluke? I don't want to eat her, now."

ahh, great story!

CharlieG;316296 wrote:

Heh - I was expecting something to do with what are also known as "summer flounder"

Summer flounder, some are fluke?

Undertoad;316280 wrote:

Thus, the fake fluke.

"What's the matter with you? Don't you know your left flank from your right flank?"

"I'm sorry sir, I flunked flank."

"You flunked flank?? Get the flunk outta here!"

footfootfoot;316391 wrote:

Summer flounder, some are fluke?

Fluke and flounder are 2 different fish - flounder are cold water fish, and don't really hang out in warm summer water - fluke do -Fluke are also known as turbot - flounder are also know as "sole"

The BIG one - fluke have their eyes on the LEFT, flounder have their eyes on the RIGHT

see

http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/species_profiles/82_11-112.pdf

.

Since Dolphins are the other critter that have sex for fun, falsies are a natural progression. :blush:

Should we just rename the dolphin to Faux-lipper?

ouch

Boy dolphin chats up Fuji the girl dolphin in bar .. "Hey, are those flukes for real .. ??" .. :D