[ Left unsaid in the article is that these bottlenose dolphins are most likely forming alliances to gang rape female bottlenose dolphins.
For consensual sex - leave your buddies at home.
For gang rape - alliance ‘social networks’ helps.
Flipper is a rapist! ]
Too much anthromophizing animals and it has infected science.
What has been antropomorphized beyond all bounds of reason is the meme of the bottlenose dolphin as the angel of the sea - the anti-shark that is smart and loving and playful, etc.
Sure - all that AND gets together with his buddies for a bit of gang rape!