> [!quote] [Dolphins in the Red Sea May Use Coral to 'Self-Medicate'](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dolphin-coral-skin-care) via [[Atlas Obscura]] > > After more than a decade of underwater observation of some 360 dolphins, as well as chemical analysis of the specific coral they preferred, Ziltener and her colleagues may have discovered what that reason is. In a [paper](https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)00541-7) published recently in _iScience_, they described how the animals might be “self-medicating” using mucus that the coral releases when the animals rub against it. Coauthor and University of Giessen chemist Gertrud Morlock, who led the analysis of the coral samples, says they contain “antibacterial, antioxidative, hormonal, and toxic compounds” that the dolphins could be using to prevent or treat skin infections. - related:: [[8 animals that take hallucinogenic drugs and enjoy it#dolphins]] (pufferfish to get high)