*The following blog post is an excerpt from the book Twenty-Two Fantastical Facts about Dolphins*
Being an air-breathing animal living in the ocean brings with it a number of challenges. Chief among them is trying not to drown. The paradox/problem of living in an aquatic environment but needing to be at the surface to breathe is something that manatees, sea turtles, whales, and dolphins have to cope with on a daily basis. But for dolphins, drowning in the traditional sense (which involves inhaling water into your lungs) is not really the problem.
*The following blog post is an excerpt from the book Twenty-Two Fantastical Facts about Dolphins*
Spinner dolphins are pretty bizarre as far as dolphins go. Their habit of leaping out of the water and spinning around at high velocity is just odd – not something other species of dolphins usually do. It’s made even more bizarre by the fact that nobody knows why they do it. It might be to shake off pesky suckerfish that are latched onto their sensitive skin. Or maybe it’s a form of communication, or a mating display.
*The following blog post is an excerpt from the book Twenty-Two Fantastical Facts about Dolphins*
Whales and dolphins evolved from furry mammals with hoof-like feet that roamed the Earth 50 million years ago. Called Pakicetus, these animals looked like a cross between a dog, a cat, and a tiny, angry hippopotamus.
Now is your chance to scoop up DCP's latest limited-edition tees & sweatshirts! These shirts are only available until 1 December so don't forget to order yours!
Curious about our recent research trip to the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS)?
Our 2015 field session at Anthony's Key Resort's Roatan Institute for Marine Science (RIMS) was a success! We were able to collect six hours of video with the MVA2 camera as well as another ~9 hours of video with 1-2 GoPro cameras. That is, for all sessions, one GoPro was mounted above the MVA 2 facing forward to provide a wider view and greater area for confirming dolphin IDs from body parts that might be slightly out of view on the MVA camera but in range on the GoPro.
Today, Friday, dawned bright after an evening of thunderstorms that affected the early AM underwater visibility. Still, I was able to collect data during an early morning session and a second morning session on our last day at RIMS/AKR for 2015. Champ and Calli were as attentive as ever to me in the early morning as were French, Ronnie and Ritchie. Even Bailey spent a bit of time investigating the hydrophones.
The second morning session brought better underwater visibility (up to ~3.5 meters but still silty).
Even as our week begins to wind down, our mornings start early. This DCP team is a group of early risers! Perfect for catching the morning sun, best underwater visibility and social dolphins! You can see everyone preparing to take their positions around the enclosure for the best observer positions ... and maybe also for the occasional game of seaweed toss with the younger dolphins!
This morning presented the best underwater clarity of the week, so far. Very little silt or precipitate in the water, clear for at least 6 m ... and also social dolphins.
Observing the dolphins underwater and recording their behavior onto video cards or tapes equates to also being required to recognize each dolphin by her/his scars and marks. For the most part, here at RIMS/AKR, we can use the rake marks that are caused by other dolphin teeth during play or aggression. These rake marks are parallel white lines. They heal pretty quickly, but will remain for the week of data collection.
Coordinating with the trainers to confirm each dolphin's marks is key to being able to readily recognize the dolphins.
This morning saw the MVA2 (second array built) with a second added camera! Typically, we have a GoPro mounted on the left top of the housing to get a wider perspective and be able to confirm IDs of all the dolphins visible in the view finder.