Pesky Remoras
The Wild Dolphin Project was started by Dr. Denise Herzing back in 1985. Since then Dr. Herzing, along with her colleagues and graduate students, has put out multiple peer reviewed research papers on the behavior, acoustics, and ecology of the two species we study in the Bahamas: the Atlantic spotted
Can Anyone Hear Me?
The Wild Dolphin Project was started by Dr. Denise Herzing back in 1985. Since then Dr. Herzing, along with her colleagues and graduate students, has put out multiple peer reviewed research papers on the behavior, acoustics, and ecology of the two species we study in the Bahamas: the Atlantic spotted
New Research: Making Friends!
A natural social experiment has been taking place in Bahamian waters, and we’ve been there to witness it. As it turns out, dolphins can make friends with strangers, according to our new research published in the journal Marine Mammal Science. Exodus In 2013, about 50% of the Atlantic spotted dolphins
Dolphin Detective
Much of our long-term work studying dolphins in the Bahamas relies on identifying individuals in the population. By tracking individuals we can understand patterns in relationships, communication, and behavior differences between sexes and age classes, among many other things. To do this, sometimes requires a bit of detective work. We
Studying Behavior: From Observing To Understanding
At the Wild Dolphin Project, we’ve studied everything from dolphin communication, to social structure, genetics and ecology. One of the most common fields we cover is animal behavior, to examine topics such as interspecies aggression, feeding, and even teaching. In addition to gaining insight into the behavior of a species,
WDP in the Bahamas: A review
We know a lot of you have followed our work for awhile now — some of you since the very beginning — and some of you have even been out with us on research expeditions. For the start of the new year, we’d like to provide a review of what
New Research: Spotted Dolphins Riskier When Fighting Other Species
Despite their friendly appearance, dolphins aren’t just cute and cuddly. They are wild animals that engage in aggressive behaviors, just like any other animal. Since 1985, we’ve observed the interactions between two species of dolphins who share the waters of the Bahamas Banks, the spotteds (Stenella frontalis) and bottlenose (Tursiops
What is Synchrony and Why Does it Matter?
In the wild, the ability for social animals to work together is crucial for survival. And as it turns out, in spotted dolphins, not only do they work together but they also synchronize their behaviors. In the Bahamas, spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins both live on the shallow sandbanks. While
More than Spotted Dolphins…
False killer whales, sperm whales, pilot whales, offshore bottlenose dolphins, Risso’s dolphins —these are just a few of the amazing marine mammals we’ve seen when crossing from Florida to the Bahamas to research the resident dolphins in our study site. Surprisingly, however, little is known about mammals in this region
Offshore and Nearshore Bottlenose Dolphins – What’s the Difference?
In the Bahamas, we study two species dolphins at our field site: the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenalla frontalis) and the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). These are both members of the family Delphinidae, the oceanic dolphins. We spend a lot of our time focusing on the spotteds, but in this