One of Dawesville's juvenile dolphins has found himself a bestie after a tumultuous few years, surviving two shark attacks and losing his previous buddy unexpectedly.
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Estuary Guardians Mandurah shared that young dolphin Elliot had been seen side-by-side with 7-year-old Hiccup, and that the pair had developed a "beautiful friendship".
Elliot is often recognised by scars he received after he was attacked by sharks years ago, and in his younger years he was regularly seen with another male dolphin, Floppy.
Unfortunately Floppy hasn't been spotted in a long time.
But Elliot's life has gotten that little bit brighter after finding his new bff, with the Estuary Guardians writing that they were "so happy to see Elliot has found another best friend".
"From an early age the males start to form close bonds, learning from each other and finding their place," a representative wrote.
"Once they reach adulthood, they will have formed a strong bond with one or two other males that may last their lifetime, this is called an alliance. It is believed an alliance is formed for more successful mating as well as feeding."
Hiccup is the older brother of beloved dolphin calf Bliss, who is recovering from being hit by a gidgee spear earlier this year.
The Estuary Guardians said Elliot was Hiccup's first close friend after "taking the leap into the big wide world" and venturing from his mum Brandon's side.
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
