Meet the Board: President, Axel Stepan
We’ve decided to introduce you to our Board of Directors, to help you get a sense of the people who help the Wild Dolphin Project fulfill our mission! First up, is our current president, Axel Stepan. After receiving his MBA in 1999, Axel started his career as an
Meet the Team: Captain Brad Ruda
Brad Ruda grew up in the Lake Worth, Florida and always loved the water and being outside. He spent his days boating fishing, camping and canoeing. After graduating high school, Brad had been working as a dockhand at the same marina where we dock our research vessel Stenella. He regularly
Careers in Ocean Science: Education Specialist, Hannah MacDonald
Careers in Ocean Science: Education Specialist, Hannah MacDonald Introduction: At the age of 20, Hannah MacDonald was the youngest woman in a team of women that dove a historic site in each one of the five great lakes in 24 hours. “This feat was to empower women divers and bring
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
QandA with Biologist Cassie Volker
Hi everyone! We hope you enjoyed our LIVE Facebook Question and Answer session with our biologist Cassie Volker. We decided to turn that session into a blog, as a permanent resource. As a refresher, the Wild Dolphin Project was started by Dr. Denise Herzing in 1985. Along with her colleagues,
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
Fall is baby season for dolphins!
All summer long we observe wild dolphins in the Bahamas — and some of those dolphins are pregnant. Based on long-term observation of individuals, Denise Herzing, founder and research director of the Wild Dolphin Project, determined that female Atlantic spotted dolphins have two peak calving seasons in early spring and
2019 Field Season: Trip 4
Calm Seas and Pregnant Females!! We found ourselves on Trip 4 with another spectacular stretch of good weather. Consecutive flat days, with no wind, are unusual, especially in the spring. But the first half of our 2019 field season has proven to be very calm. Although with no wind it
Meet Our New Team Member!
Over the years, many budding biologists have gained research experience and training as graduate students working with Dr. Denise Herzing, the Wild Dolphin Project’s founder and director. For instance, Dr. Cindy Elliser was a PhD student with Denise and is now the research director at Pacific Mammal Research, a scientific
Meet Amanda, She’s One of a Kind.
In 1985, Denise Herzing founded The Wild Dolphin Project to study a community of wild Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. That’s a long time to study one group of animals, which means that since time, Denise and other staff members, graduate students, colleagues, interns, and participants with the