Adventure in the mangroves

After breakfast on Sunday 5 May, we began class with a debate on dolphin hunts in Japan – it got pretty intense at some points! After the debate, we had the chance to simply discuss the topic and being stereotypically Canadian, we considered possible compromises. After the debate, we worked on photo-ID, looking at our photos from Friday. After lunch, we snorkeled the mangroves. Some of us saw a lionfish – an invasive species! We also saw a nurse shark.

May The 4th Be With You

Saturday 4 May began with wrap-up from Friday and a break so we could go to the local straw market. Then, we had a guest lecture, via Skype, from Dr. Justin Gregg. Justin talked about intelligence and dolphins. We took away the main points that it is very hard to measure intelligence and it probably isn’t very accurate to place different species on an intelligence hierarchy.
After lunch, we prepared for our upcoming debate and then headed out on the boat. It was rough when we first headed out, but it became progressively calmer as the afternoon progressed.

Dolphin-mistic

It’s that time of year: students from University of New Brunswick Saint John are in Bimini! On Thursday morning, six of us packed up and departed the SharkLab, where we had spent the last week. We were sad to leave, but we were ready to experience something new. We met Kel at the South Bimini water taxi and headed North. Two of us were still in Fort Lauderdale ready to get to Bimini for the first time! We left the hotel and headed to the airport – but our flight was delayed slightly due to rain. Dr.

Beaked whale strands in Bimini

On 23 April 2013, a local bonefish guide stumbled upon a rare sight while on the shallow flats of Bimini: a beaked whale. Beaked whales are deep water animals and in all of DCP’s years on Bimini, a beaked whale has never been observed here. In the years since DCP’s Kel Sweeting became part of the Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (2008), there has not been a marine mammal stranding here either. In fact, this may have been the first marine mammal stranding on Bimini in many, many years.
The animal was first observed alive.