MIAMI - A tussle between a trainer and a dolphin at a Florida Seaquarium gave spectators more of a show than they bargained for!

A fun and fancy-free afternoon at a trained dolphin show in Florida turned tense when a dolphin appeared to attack a trainer in front of a live audience.

It happened during the flipper show at the Miami Seaquarium. The trainer was in the water when she appeared to be struck forcibly, several times, before getting out of the pool.

Dolphins are extremely intelligent, despite their friendly reputations. Experts say they can use their snouts as ramming weapons when threatened, even fending off fierce predators like sharks.

A Seaquarium spokesperson says the trainer accidentally scratched the dolphin, leading to the tense underwater encounter.

The trainer did appear visibly dazed after exiting the pool, but the company says both she and the dolphin are recovering well.