Actually, I’m something of an expert on this subject. The government didn’t fund these studies. They were carried out by Professor John C Lilly, a genuine mad scientist who inspired the films Altered States and Day Of The Dolphin. The statement about language acquisition, hand jobs and LSD is however, entirely accurate. What the government WAS interested in was weapons research. They attempted to teach dolphins to swim up to enemy divers and inject them with poison. Needless to say, the dolphins weren’t terribly interested in this type of activity, preferring to try and play with the diver or simply swimming away.
I didn’t. But Margaret Howe did. mentalfloss.com/article/26483/4-bizarre-experiments-should-never-be-repeated
Also, dolphins in the wild have got amorous with swimmers and hooked their penises (they use them like a prehensile arm)round their victims and tried to swim off with them! Women who are menstruating are advised not to get into water with male dolphins as it excites them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Navy_Marine_Mammal_Program
(It seems my comment about the poison darts was just unfounded gossip and has turned into an urban myth. Also, I think Prof Lilly did have some federal funding but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t fully funded by the government)
Fink (#)
10 years ago
Sorry, didn’t they try and get them to attach mines to ships?
Almost as mad as the bomber bats in WWII
Actually, I’m something of an expert on this subject. The government didn’t fund these studies. They were carried out by Professor John C Lilly, a genuine mad scientist who inspired the films Altered States and Day Of The Dolphin. The statement about language acquisition, hand jobs and LSD is however, entirely accurate. What the government WAS interested in was weapons research. They attempted to teach dolphins to swim up to enemy divers and inject them with poison. Needless to say, the dolphins weren’t terribly interested in this type of activity, preferring to try and play with the diver or simply swimming away.
You gave a dolphin a handy, didn’t you?
I didn’t. But Margaret Howe did.
mentalfloss.com/article/26483/4-bizarre-experiments-should-never-be-repeated
Also, dolphins in the wild have got amorous with swimmers and hooked their penises (they use them like a prehensile arm)round their victims and tried to swim off with them! Women who are menstruating are advised not to get into water with male dolphins as it excites them.
Hank Hill got raped by a dolphin.
I don’t think it succeeded but it tried.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Lilly
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Navy_Marine_Mammal_Program
(It seems my comment about the poison darts was just unfounded gossip and has turned into an urban myth. Also, I think Prof Lilly did have some federal funding but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t fully funded by the government)
Sorry, didn’t they try and get them to attach mines to ships?
Almost as mad as the bomber bats in WWII
Yep. I heard that one too. Not sure about its veracity now.
and the russians apparently tried that with dogs…