#18: Dolphins in Naval Operations
Unlike most entries on this list, this program did not quietly disappear into an archive. The U.S. Navy began working with dolphins and sea lions in 1959, eventually establishing what became the Navy Marine Mammal Program at Point Loma in San Diego. Dolphins possess an extraordinary natural echolocation system that can distinguish objects underwater in conditions where human vision is practically useless. Rather than trying to teach them to attack ships, Navy handlers trained them for tasks such as detecting and marking underwater mines and identifying unauthorized swimmers or objects in protected areas.
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