Research from the Sky: Drones and Dolphins

We’ve got new research out, in the journal Southeastern Naturalist.  Our team analyzed drone video footage to help document the first-known case, to our knowledge, of two species of dolphins interacting off the Southeast coast of Florida, which highlights the value of drones in helping scientists collect previously-unavailable data, including

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Updates on Lamda

In September 2018 a male Atlantic spotted dolphin named Lamda, who we’ve known since 2013 as a young juvenile, stranded far from his home in Bimini. He was rehabilitated in an Animal Rescue Centre in the Bahamas, where they looked after him until he was recovered and ultimately, released back

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Animal Behavior: interspecies versus intraspecific interactions

  In the Bahamas, the Wild Dolphin Project led by Dr. Denise Herzing, studies both the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis), who coexist on the sandbank. This means they are sympatric — occurring within the same geographic range. While the two species eat

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2023 Trips 1 & 2 blog

  The 2023 season is underway! With two trips complete, we’re off to the Bahamas again soon. But here’s an update on the beginning of our summer.    Trip 1 The first trip of the season is always exciting.  And this year was no different.  As soon as we left

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Meet the team: Board Member Edition

Meet the team: Board Member Edition Ruth Petzold always loved the ocean. She grew up in Michigan, but spent her summers in New Hampshire, snorkeling and searching in tidal pools for clams, snails and sea stars. She even collected critters from the beach and sneaked them back to her grandfather’s

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Dolphin Communication

We know animals communicate, but do they have language?  Dr. Denise Herzing, research director of Wild Dolphin Project, founded the scientific nonprofit  in 1985 to learn more about the communication and behavior of wild dolphins. She’s an expert at understanding their sounds. Denise has given countless presentations on the subject,

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Who is Toki?

On March 30, 2023, the Miami Seaquarium, which recently came under the management ofThe Dolphin Company, entered into an agreement with Friends of Lolita, a non–profit organization to return Lolita, a killer whale, to an ocean sanctuary, according to a press release.  Every major news outlet as covered the story from the New

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6 Awesome Facts About Spotted Dolphins in the Bahamas

Denise Herzing, Ph.D., founder and director of the Wild Dolphin Project, has been studying Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas since 1985. Since that time, she’s learned a lot about their social behavior, communication, feeding behavior, ecology, and social structure. Dolphins are mammals, which means they breathe air

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How Long Can Dolphins Hold Their Breath?

Imagine always holding your breath — while running, talking, eating and sleeping. How long can you hold your breath? 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2? Well, some whales can hold their breath over an hour, necessary for a life in the sea. Dolphins and whales, together known as cetaceans, are

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Save the Dolphins: Looking Ahead to 2023

It’s almost the end of another year. Goodbye 2022. But, as we look to the new year, we want to be inspired about the ways we can help save wild dolphins and other marine mammals. We know the whales, dolphins, manatees, and polar bears are in trouble. Manatees are dying

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