Interspecific interactions among Atlantic spotted & bottlenose dolphins

Kelly Melillo, Master’s Candidate, Alaska Pacific University

The Background

As an undergraduate intern with DCP, I had the opportunity to spend a research season at DCP’s Bimini field site.  I went to this tiny island with a strong interest in cetacean behavior, but no real focus.  This all changed the moment I observed two bottlenose dolphins enter a group of Atlantic spotted dolphins.  The interactions that followed included mating behaviors with the bottlenose as the aggressors.  I knew I needed to know more….

The Next Step

After spending the summer of 2003 in Bimini, I returned to Connecticut College for my final year.  Here, I was able to complete an independent study analyzing the interactions I had just observed.  Included in this was the start of a thorough literature review of known cases of interspecific interactions & hybridization among marine mammals in both wild & captive settings.  How was I to know that this project was bigger than a single semester independent study?

Now

I am now a Master’s student at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, AK.  Here, I have been completing the necessary course work for a Master’s of Science in Environmental Science.  And in order to have taste of the extremes, I continue to spend my summers as a research associate for DCP, collected data on both species of dolphins off Bimini.  These data will be used for my thesis, a more thorough continuation of the project I began at Connecticut College.

The Questions

In addition to completing the most up-to-date literature review of interspecific interactions & hybridization among marine mammals, I will be looking at questions related to the factors (behavioral & environmental) associated with the interactions between the spotted & bottlenose dolphins.  These include:

Which animals are present during the interactions?

Where are the interactions occurring?

What behaviors (posture, vocalization, etc.) are observed?

The Bigger Picture

Understanding why an individual goes outside its species to mate is important, as it can be a sign of population stress.  It is also important for us to be aware of potential hybrid animals that may be born into the resident group of Atlantic spotted dolphins.  These two points, along with others, are important pieces to the bigger puzzle of dolphin social behavior.  Understanding the animals’ behavior will ultimately allow for better management & conservation decisions.