Harold the manatee is still here, plus we got a winter glimpse of several bottlenose, White Blotch (#029), her 4-year old calf and….a brand new neonate!! When dolphins are first born, their dorsal fins are folded across their backs, their flukes are folded and they have creases along their body called fetal folds. On Monday’s dolphin trip, we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of a neonate whose dorsal fin was still curved completed across its back. Typically the dorsal fin straightens within 24-48 hours of birth — this is officially the youngest wild dolphin I have ever seen!! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a good look at the mother, but it is always good to see new calves in the Bimini population!
I hope 2009 brings more exciting observations!
Happy New Year,
Kel