Atlantic spotted dolphins and bubble ring in Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas

© Hiroya Minakuchi/Minden Pictures

Happy Pi Day!

To celebrate Pi Day this March 14 (or 3/14 or 3.14), we visit the balmy waters of Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. Two Atlantic spotted dolphins were photographed here blowing a bubble ring, also known as a toroidal ring. And if they were to calculate the circumference of their bubble ring, they’d need to use our favorite irrational number, π.

Scientists can’t be certain why Atlantic spotted dolphins blow bubble rings, but they surmise that the playful dolphins may do it just for fun. Humpback whales, on the other hand, have been well documented using bubble rings to corral schools of fish into a ‘bubble net’ before gobbling them up.