Gilligan, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin that asphyxiated while attempting to swallow an octopus, is again making headlines.


Dolphins love to feast on octopuses, but the prey can prove fatal if not properly prepared.  Gilligan, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin that asphyxiated in 2015 while attempting to swallow one of the sea creatures, is making headlines again. A Tuesday story in National Geographic describes what was revealed during the animal's postmortem. It appears the prey was immense, sporting a tentacle span of about 4.2 feet. The cephalopod is believed to have used one of its many arms to prevent Gilligan from reconnecting his breathing apparatus after he'd disengaged it to make swallowing his meal easier.  What remains unclear is how much effort was put into preparing the prey.  Generally, dolphins attempt to stun, kill, or break apart octopuses by shaking and tossing them across the water, a measure taken to reduce the risk of throat blockage, notes New Scientist. Notably, even if an octopus is dead, the suckers on its tentacles can still be used to cling onto the sides of the throat and suffocate what's trying to eat it.  Despite the strenuous effort and high risk involved, octopuses are a desirable food source due to their heft and high protein content.