“Dolphins are the ‘other’ big brained animal (next to humans) and generally do not use tools in the wild,” says biology professor Janet Mann, behavioural ecologist at Georgetown University. “This is the only well-documented case of tool-use in wild dolphins or whales, so understanding why is relevant to some of the big questions we ask about human and non-human animals, such as: how smart are they, how are they smart, and do animals have culture?”