On Wednesday morning, we had a short practice session with photo-ID. During this practice session, we were introduced to Trudy (#57) and Addie (#84). While Trudy was easy to recognize because of her distinct dorsal notch, Addie’s “unsorted” photograph also seemed easy since she had a seemingly major injury. We were surprised that this injury did not in fact leave a permanent scar. During our next class, Dr. M discussed field sampling methods. We saw ways in which the same method can be applied to different study species, and scenarios in which you would actually combine methods.
Tuesday’s breakfast included our first taste of Bimini bread. We really like its sweetness – some with salty butter! We quickly packed sandwiches, because we had a morning boat trip! The water was so clear and blue – it looked like blue jell-o. We saw a large cushion starfish under a boat and spotted eagle rays in the harbor. Everything is so big! No matter how deep the water was, we could see straight to the bottom. It seemed like the perfect weather to accomplish our mission of finding dolphins.
With our course with Sacred Heart University just a day behind us, Nicole and I welcomed 14 students from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), and their professor, Dr. Radhika Makecha, to Bimini! They too will be here for 12 nights, learning about dolphins and experiencing Bimini. We hope you enjoy reading their field reports!
-Kel
PS: Their mascot is the Colonel!
On Monday, with not much sleep behind those of us who traveled from Kentucky, we began our journey to Bimini.
Saturday was our last full day with “The PEDuncadunks” (SHU 2015) and it began with torrential downpours. We had planned to do our last-day beach cleanup right after breakfast but the intermittent rolls of thunder delayed us for a bit in the hopes that the storm would clear up. At around 10 it seemed that we might have the perfect window of opportunity so we headed out to the beach with our garbage bags and sanitary gloves...and it started pouring.
With no readings due for Friday, we woke refreshed. After breakfast, we had a tour scheduled instead of class. We met up with Ashley Saunders, who showed us around his “Dolphin House.” It was so cool the way he burns the conch shell to make a mortar; with a few other natural ingredients, this becomes a great adhesive to put his mosaics on the wall.
Thursday morning it was humid – as usual. But the wind was gone and the sea was so calm! Our class discussion focused on ecotourism. We discussed two peer-reviewed articles about the impact of tourism vessels on bottlenose dolphins. In one area, the tour boats were disrupting rest, which is obviously extremely important for the dolphins’ well-being. Overall, we talked about the importance of getting people into and interacting with the natural environment, but that we need to be mindful of what the impacts are.
On Wednesday, we woke up to the pitter patter of raindrops and wondered what the day would bring. Kel walked in wearing her bathing suit, so our optimism returned. Ignoring the weather, we focused on our class discussion about interspecies interactions, specifically between bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins. We discussed different species in an aggregation versus actually interacting.
Tuesday’s morning session included a discussion about contact and signal exchanges, and female association patterns, among Atlantic spotted dolphins on the Little Bahama Bank. The mother-calf relationship really stood out to us. It is interesting to learn that although the one mother/one calf bond is so strong, there are other relationships that help ensure the safety and wellbeing of the calf. It made sense to us that a mother’s foraging strategies might need to change as she works to meet the demands of her new calf. Alloparenting (or, babysitting) may help her succeed in making these changes.
On Sunday our class session revolved around tool use, pectoral fin contact and group living. Included in our discussion was outlining the pros and cons (or benefits and costs) of group living. The ocean environment is a major factor influencing the benefits. We discussed “Understanding Dolphins” and began brainstorming topics for our final papers. We practiced using the terms discussed in class when we were on the boat later in the day!
We enjoyed our enchilada soup lunch and got ready for the boat.
On Monday, breakfast was a little earlier so that we could get to South Bimini. Once there, we had a tour of the Bimini Sands’ Nature Trail. We were divided between a “sweet buggy” and a van with two “sunroofs.” We were followed by two friendly dogs – we can’t see an animal any more without trying to assess its behavior! We saw several lizard species including anoles. A brown racer (snake) was in the brush next to the path and we saw two termite mounds. When the mound was poked, we got to see some come out.