World’s First 3D Printed Dolphin Tail

Leanne Nguyen July 27, 2020

Winter the bottlenose dolphin was rescued from a crab trap when she was only two months old. While she survived, the crab trap had entangled with the tail, cutting off the blood supply to her tail, causing it to detach naturally. This 3D prosthetic was designed to replace her tail, as without it, she was swimming unnaturally, moving her tail side to side as opposed to the natural up-and-down.

Admittedly, this is a workaround to the problems posed by overfishing as well as plastic pollution in our oceans, but it also is a significant advancement to the evolution of prosthetics. While a solution must be found in order to stop such animals being hurt like this, such temporary solutions provide temporary relief and ensure that the overall impact is less detrimental to the environment.