The US Navy recruits dolphins and sea lions for military duty
Since the 1960s, the United States Navy has trained bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions for specialized underwater missions. These animals possess highly advanced sensory capabilities that human technology cannot match. Dolphins use their natural sonar to detect underwater mines, while sea lions are trained to locate and attach recovery clamps to lost equipment or intruders. Both species play active roles in guarding naval bases.
From Hydrodynamic Models to Biosonar Pioneers
The United States Navy's involvement with marine mammals began in 1960, driven by an engineering problem rather than an interest in biological warfare. Naval researchers acquired a Pacific white-sided dolphin named Notty to study whether the animal's streamlined body shape and skin texture could inspire more efficient torpedo hulls and submarine designs. While the hydrodynamic research yielded valuable fluid-dynamics data, researchers quickly realized that the dolphin's biological sensory suite was far more remarkable than its drag coefficient.
As the Cold War escalated, the Navy recognized that human-engineered sonar struggled in shallow coastal waters, where acoustic reflections off rocks, coral reefs, and undulating seabeds created blinding clutter. Marine mammals, having evolved over millions of years to navigate and hunt in turbid and complex marine environments, could process acoustic information with extraordinary precision. The program was soon expanded into a classified research initiative based in Point Loma, San Diego, eventually becoming known as the Marine Mammal Program.
To find the best candidates for operational tasks, researchers evaluated more than a dozen different marine species, including pilot whales, killer whales, belugas, and various seals. Over time, the Navy narrowed its operational focus primarily to two species: the bottlenose dolphin and the California sea lion. Bottlenose dolphins provided unmatched biological sonar capabilities, while California sea lions offered exceptional directional underwater hearing, acute low-light vision, and extreme physical dexterity in deep water.