We got 20 minutes with the MOSART today!
We rigged MOSART tag #1 for Ronnie today. He wore it for the 1st 20 minutes of an hour session. (Again, great visibility!) Latta did not swim with him but stood by on the dock. So Ronnie did not interact with other dolphins as much as he usually does, but Mika and Fiona did come and check his pec unit (his new gaudy “bracelet”). They exchanged a few squawks. Ritchie and Bill did likewise. Still I’m sure we got some echolocation data and Ronnie seems to be getting more comfy with the pac. Two other neat actions were documented today. After the pac was off, I continued observing, and was greeted by a dolphin “playing possum”. Paya was prone on the sand on his right side. Maury and 2 others were nudging him. After about 30 seconds he swam followed Maury slowly up. What his intention was, I’ll never know…but I’ve seen the same behavior in spotted dolphins in Bahamas and from the dolphins around Mikura. The second observation came from both Alita’s and Cedeña’s sides – there were subtle ripples along their very pregnant bellies!! Their calves were moving. I was reminded of my sisters pregnancies when my nieces/nephews were active and kicking. Very cool! Terri, one of the trainers, said they can feel the calf at times during the ultrasounds late in their pregnancies. What a great day! Till tomorrow, Kathleen