Pleo communes with nature, woos Dolphins

After an absolutely heart-wrenching video of Pleo being annihilated by a sadistic ComBot emerged yesterday, we're thrilled to add a little balance to the whole thing with a totally heartwarming clip today. Down at Sea World, Pleo was politely introduced to a number of animals in the park, though its interactions with the dolphins were particularly special. In the vid posted after the jump, you can go ahead and fast-forward to around the two minute mark -- there you'll find the true definition of a stud. Or maybe the pod just thinks miniature dinosaurs look extraordinarily tasty.

[Thanks, Robert]

[Gus @ May 9th 2008 11:10AM]

best. video. EVER!!!

[OneLove @ May 9th 2008 11:36AM]

maybe the pleo is giving off some electronic noise that the dolphins can sense?

[Anonymoose @ May 9th 2008 11:43AM]

how's that? so all the dolphins come crowding around because they can't see something that small without being an inch away?

[Low Ranked @ May 9th 2008 11:55AM]

What happened when you took the batteries out of your dick?

[giantenemycrab @ May 9th 2008 3:58PM]

Just goes to show you how realistic those Pleos are.

[NG @ May 10th 2008 11:57AM]

@ giantenemycrab
"Just goes to show you how realistic those Pleos are."

Not really, more how clever & humanly dolphins are

[Karl Viklund @ May 9th 2008 11:12AM]

PhotoShoped!

[Low Ranked @ May 9th 2008 11:57AM]

Photoshope? Seriously, shope?

[Anonymoose @ May 9th 2008 12:09PM]

he's a french viking cosmotologist. this is how they spell.

[Low Ranked @ May 9th 2008 12:15PM]

Good eye! Didn't catch that avatar; this explains everything.

[dazepro @ May 9th 2008 11:13AM]

Anyone happen to know the composer of that song?

[Siren @ May 10th 2008 10:49PM]

Don't know. The end of the video has the website URL I got the music from. Its a Royalty Free Music website. I don't have the URL on the computer I am using now, sorry.

[Galley @ May 9th 2008 11:14AM]

The dolphins are obviously discussing with Pleo about their plans to take over the world!

[Lazerface @ May 9th 2008 2:06PM]

"So long and thanks for all the fish!"

[waterwagen @ May 9th 2008 11:15AM]

I don't think I've ever seen a group of animals so fascinated by a non-food item.

I must admit that at this point I'd already be figuring out how to get 50 Pleos in there to get THAT reaction. Even better, drop them in the pool.

[Ridgecity @ May 9th 2008 1:28PM]

conclusion: electrocution for all dolphins.

[Timeto Munch @ May 9th 2008 11:19AM]

The dolphins are just trying to figure out how to eat it.

[Alex Linhares @ May 9th 2008 11:29AM]

Well, dolphins evolutionarily have tended to be around gadzillions of interesting live stuff. These ones, though, have almost nothing to look at. So there. Evolutionary curiosity.

[dubbbya @ May 9th 2008 11:29AM]

he has risen

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ May 9th 2008 11:29AM]

I seems as i the dolphins are discussing with each other the tremendous amount of time they've waited to see a dinosaur. I bet dolphins pass down stories of when the big land animals roamed the Earth. It's like they recognize it. I bet they were clicking and whistling like crazy. Best Pleo Video Ever!!!one11

[Alan Strangis @ May 9th 2008 12:26PM]

I bet the dolphins were saying... "We better do what our trainer tells us to, or we ain't gettin' no fishes tonight".

Read the link. It was completely staged by a needy Pleo owner looking for YouTube hits.

[Rob @ May 15th 2008 7:46AM]

Unnecessary use of 'comma splices' in headlines gets old, annoys reader.

[The 3rd Hot Dog @ May 9th 2008 12:09PM]

Nit-picky poster fancies self iconoclast, good samaritan.

[Lazaro @ May 9th 2008 12:09PM]

really? i think the comma belongs there

[Ryan @ May 9th 2008 12:17PM]

"Unnecessary use of 'comma splices' in headlines gets old, annoys reader"

haha i second that rob.

[Alan Strangis @ May 9th 2008 12:26PM]

Did anybody actually read the text at the link?

The Pleo owner (who seems pretty needy and kind of sad as she goes around from aquarium to aquarium trying to get attention with her toy) tried to get the dolphins' attention for 15 minutes with no luck, finally went to a dolphin trainer, who then told all the the other visitors to step away as they do an 'interaction'. The trainer then banged on the glass to get the dolphins attention, and pointed out the Pleo multiple times.

Surprise surprise... the dolphins came over and looked at what their trainer told them to.

How the hell is this impressive? I'd much prefer a story about an orca killing a shark that was trying to attack a human.

Or maybe those sea otters holding hands. That was cute too, but at least it wasn't as manufactured as a Steven Spielberg movie, complete with treacly music.

[Ridgecity @ May 9th 2008 1:35PM]

I think that 2 year old that shows up on the video is the owner of the robot, not the guy shooting the video. and come on, don't be such an asshole... if you don't like it move to the next post... no need to put down what these people recorded...

[Alan Strangis @ May 9th 2008 2:26PM]

Asshole??? LOL!

In the same way you're a sucker, I guess.

If you DID read the original 'blog' (hosted by the company that MAKES the Pleo) you'd see everything I said about HOW the video was made was accurate.

I was actually interested in the video, but when I read the machinations the 'blogger' went through, it came across as a manufactured publicity stunt. It's not just 'what they recorded' as you say, but the video on YouTube is portrayed as a spontaneous moment (with added music).

But hey, if you want to believe it's a magical moment between a 2 year old, some dolphins, and a Pleo, have at 'er.

Who am I to spoil manufactured realtiy?... oh wait... :D

[DT @ May 9th 2008 12:24PM]

Dophins to Pleo: "Eat the humans, then find the key! You're our only hope!"

[DT @ May 9th 2008 12:26PM]

I was there this past summer... the dolphins were going nuts watching a tiny yapping dog at the glass. Then three dolphins proceeded to have a devil's manage a trois, which all in attendance felt dirty watching but couldn't take their eyes away from.

[phub4r @ May 9th 2008 12:33PM]

The dolphins are just trying to figure out what it is.
They can see with sound waves (echo's) and see also with their eyes.

The following two things happen:
1. Their eyes tell them it's a little creature.
2. The sound they produce passes through objects and persons and by the reflected waves they can make out a pattern of the inside of this robot and it does not look like anything they have seen at all. Living things give a totally different pattern than this (for them) strange thing.

So this is more than just plain curiosity, Dolphins are actually way more sophisticated in seeing on multiple levels than we humans ... !!

[DT @ May 9th 2008 12:52PM]

They were just using their eyes to see it. Echo wouldn't allow them to "see" clearly through the plexiglass. It's like 3 inches thick and very solid.

[Ridgecity @ May 9th 2008 1:31PM]

no to mention, the echo doesn't work out in the air, lol...

[stephenju @ May 9th 2008 1:44PM]

Dolphins know the future robot overlord when they see one.

[G0DM0D333 @ May 9th 2008 1:48PM]

I've seen it all now, I've seen it all...

[nathan.wong @ May 9th 2008 2:43PM]

"So long and thanks for the (Pleo)"

They were probably saying "where have you been? We've been looking for you for at least a few million years!"

[Tyson @ May 9th 2008 3:25PM]

Dolphins- "WTF Bob I thought those things went extinct years ago."

[peter @ May 9th 2008 3:35PM]

the music reminds me a little bit of the life aquatic. and this video got "so long and thanks for all the fish" stuck in my head all day.

[Alex @ May 9th 2008 4:13PM]

Well I've had my Pleo for quite sometime now and there is nothing this Pleo was doing that my Pleo doesn't do. In the video that Pleo is "reacting" just the same as mine does when in front of a large pillow. In other words the Pleo in this video is just going through the exact same (boring) motions it would in other other situation. It's doesn't understand what it sees, it just moves in a way that is appealing to people who are easily influenced by clever programming. Put it in front of a ComBot and I'm sure you will see it doing the same motions it is in this video.

[BowserUSC @ May 9th 2008 5:25PM]

Really, here I thought the Pleo was a fully conscious artificial intelligence that could communicate with you and do complex calculus.

[mustardhamsters @ May 9th 2008 5:40PM]

Ancestor! Lead us!

[couchpundit @ May 9th 2008 6:02PM]

Tomorrow's video: Dolphins gang raping pleo.

Sorry for that.

[antiver @ May 9th 2008 6:35PM]

Direct Quotes:

She loved Pixie, and then grabs 3 more trainers, tells them what I want to do and Pixie and I got a special escort into the viewing area. They surrounded me and yelled at the visitors, "I need everyone to step back! We are going to conduct a dolphin interaction!"

One of the trainers slapped the window and once a dolphin came over she pointed to Pleo a few times. Once the dolphin indicated it saw it and came down to Pleo's level, she blew her whistle. They can hear the whistle through the thick glass. And blowing the whistle told the dolphin, "Yes, that is what I wanted you to do! Good job!" From that point on, it was ALL the dolphins.

[CJ @ May 10th 2008 5:58AM]

Oh man, I can practically hear what the dolphins are saying:

"oh, hey, that's weird, what is that thing?"
"Hey dude, what's that?" "I dunno, it's just sitting there"
"What're you guys do- What's that thing?" "Dunno"

[Jay @ May 9th 2008 7:40PM]

From the tank Pleo must look like a fish.. they probably just want to eat him

[Siren @ May 9th 2008 8:35PM]

Actually, I was the one to video tape it. This is how it happened.

For 15 minutes I tried to show the Pleo to the dolphins. There were probably 80-100 people packed into that little underwater viewing area and the animal caretakers on the surface were doing a demonstration of animal husbandry. So the dolphins could care less about the people there or Pleo. So I went topside and found one of the animal caretakers. She told me to ask Candie, a trainer across the other side of the pool. I ran over there, I talked to her and showed her Pleo. I explained I go around to theme parks with my Pleo and take video slideshows and scrapbooks and share them with others. And I wanted to see what dolphins might think of Pleo, since I know they react positively to other animals such as dogs. She loved Pleo, called three other trainers and they escorted me back down there. Candie made an announcement, "I need everyone to step back! We are doing an interaction with the dolphins!", everyone moved off and the trainers made a semi circle around me and Pleo and I placed Pleo down.
The trainer slapped the glass. Now the reason why visitors can slap the glass and not get their attention is because they don't have a SeaWorld uniform. The dolphins recognize them and usually only react to them. So one dolphin came over and Candy pointed at Pleo. The dolphin lowered down to look at it and she blew her whistle. The dolphin got not treat for that. Just a whistle. The whistle was to tell the dolphin, "yes, that is what I wanted you to do". That was ALL it did. From that moment on, the dolphins ran the show and decided if they wanted to stick around or move on. Initially, we had as many as 8 dolphins scrambling and shoving their way to see Pleo. Eventually, all of them left to get fish from visitors (as this was part of the feeding area, Dolphin Cove). But two stuck around. One was named Starky. I forget the other one's name. They took turns looking at it. Eventually the trainers told me they had to leave, about 6 minutes into it, I shut off the camera, and I picked up Pleo. Starky followed Pleo in my arms and I lifted Pleo against the glass and started filming again. Once Starky swam away, I left with the trainers. They were very excited over the interaction and said they want to get a Pleo at Sea World for the dolphins.

I did not make or post the video for post counts.
I made it because I was curious
I posted it because I was amazed and wanted to share.
And frankly the post count has me a bit scared, as I have videos with copyrighted movies/music and have already been banned from YT once and all this attention on this one video puts me at risk to get banned again. So its a double edged sword. I am happy so many others enjoy it, but the accusation I am looking for attention is pathetic to say the least. I already made a 3rd YT account ready and waiting for when YT bans me for the other videos I have. So this Pleo video is gonna hurt me more than anything, but I guess its a good kinda hurt.

But these accusations that its a publicity stunt and I am some sort of numbers fanatic is ignorant to say the least.

The trainers did tell me their reaction to Pleo was similar to how they react to dogs when they see them for the first time. Sea World dolphins see dogs frequently. Their Pet's Ahoy show is in Sea World and the trainers of that show often take the dogs for their walk by the dolphin tank so the dolphins and dogs can interact through the glass. Similar to how they acted to Pleo.

I had to laugh at the idea it was Photoshoped or fake in any way.

[is @ May 9th 2008 9:36PM]

I am disappointed that there are people out there who would rather focus on authenticity of the video than the actual magic of it. Who cares if it were staged or not, it was a very interesting reaction by the dolphins - even if they needed to be showed where to look, they hung around by their own volition. I would have expected them to lose interest almost immediately.

[Alex @ May 10th 2008 5:37PM]

Siren, considering that kid in your video looks amazingly like the inventor's kid the authenticity of your video is questionable. The fact is this video was spread around the net the day after the "attack of pleo" video was released.

Spur of the moment idea? I doubt it.
Clever marketing of a toy? Most likely.

[Alex @ May 10th 2008 5:41PM]

[edit] and interestingly enough Siren, the fact that you have blocked any negative comments in YouTube that reflect a lot of the comments made here substantiate the fact this video is a marketing tool.

[bw @ May 10th 2008 8:37PM]

What a wonderful moment, it looked like the robot was interested too.