The Dolphin Communication Project (DCP) is focused on the dual goals of scientific research and education.

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1 VOLUME 17 ISSUE urims trip...2 udolphin Display Contest...9 utootie - our newest adopt-a-dolphin...10 The Dolphin gazette NEWSLETTER FOR THE DOLPHIN COMMUNICATION PROJECT The Dolphin Communication Project (DCP) is focused on the dual goals of scientific research and education. May your Holidays be festive... and dolphin-filled! It is insane how swiftly 2014 has passed by... it has been a blur! We have collected quite a bit of data (see the Bimini and the RIMS udpates)! We welcome ID#97 with her new name - Tootie! We also welcome Miles and Congratulate Kel and Al (see page 12). Justin s book arrives to U.S. online stores on December 1 - check out the blurb related to his inspiring tome. I thoroughly enjoyed Justin s book, use it as a teaching tool, and know you will enjoy it as well. We introduce a Dolphin Adoption Display photo contest. How do you share your support of DCP s research off Bimini? That is, how do you let your friends and family know that you ve adopted a dolphin? If you ve not become an adoptive parent, check out page 11 to learn about the spotted dolphins around Bimini up for adoption (research support). Remember, these dolphin adoptions make great holiday gifts! Thank you all for your continued support! We look forward to sharing more with you as you read along. And, I hope you have a happy holiday season! Kathleen In this issue K a t h l e e n s F a l l t r i p t o R I M S B i m i n i U p d a t e A r e D o l p h i n s R e a l l y S m a r t? To o t i e - o u r n e w e s t a d o p t - a - d o l p h i n D o l p h i n D i s p l a y P h o t o C o n t e s t T h e b a c k - p a g e p u z z l e r! Mailing Address Dolphin Communication Project 47 Main Street Unit #711 Old Mystic, CT USA Thank you to DCP Volunteers & Interns!! DCP would like to thank Nicole Danaher- Garcia, Gillian Reily and Catie Tobin for all their help this fall. Without your assistance, DCP s data analysis could not run so smoothly. You do a great job processing data and helping to keep things organized. Well done! Internships If you are interested in interning with DCP during a fall, spring or summer semester, more information is available on our website. Please note, most internships are office-based and do NOT include field work. Check out the web site before contacting us at info@ dcpmail.org.

2 Kathleen s 2013 RIMS adventure Submitted by Kathleen Dudzinski Seven new dolphins to DCP s study group at RIMS! After a 2.5 year hiatus from visiting Roatan, I was pleased to visit RIMS and AKR during the last week of October, specifically 26 October - 2 November. This was not DCP s normal eco-tour program but I was joined by eight individuals who have supported DCP s, and my, research over the years. Some folks, like Bill S. and Ron, since 1992 and 1995, respectively. Ron s niece, Madison, also joined us for her second visit to RIMS. Nicole, one of DCP s Bimini summer interns, and her boyfriend, Nate, were part of our group. Rounding out our party was Bill M. and Dana, a colleague and friend of John s. John was part of this trip too as he was collecting video to create an updated DCP research video at RIMS. Our team was very supportive and joined me within 30 min of sunrise to collect surface observations while I documented the dolphins with my MVA before their first feed each morning. My focus of our non-invasive protocol was to continue research into signal exchange and communication among dolphins. Having recently completed several detailed examinations of pectoral fin contact exchanges between dolphins at all of our field sites, I am now investigating the quality of dolphin social interactions in comparison to the typical method for understanding dolphin associations (via coefficients of association). In a sense, I am looking at how and when dolphins form their friendships. Thirty minutes of video with stereo audio were collected during each session for a total of six (6) hours of video collected during the week. We ve already begun logging the first video for dolphin IDs and Nicole and I are also working on the sketches for each dolphin. The group at Bailey s Key includes 19 dolphins. The adult females include Alita, Beasley, Carmella, Cedena, Gracie, Maury and Mika. Maury is Gracie s adult daughter! Bailey is a subadult female while Polly, Tilly, Calli and Elli are young females. Hector, Han, Paya and Ronnie are the adult males - Hector and Han are buddies while Ronnie tries to hang out with Paya, though he s more of a loner. The young males in the group include Champ, Lenca and Mac (the youngest at 3 months old!). The other dolphins from RIMS who we ve studied over the years are still well but at different sites; these include Ritchie, Bill, French, Anthony, Fiona, Marg, Pigeon, Ken, Dixon, Vin, Mickey, and Cortez. The photo above shows one of the young dolphins supervising me as I deploy the SM2M+ for a week of data collection. Besides collecting data with my MVA, I also was lucky to deploy DCP s newest research tool - the SM2M+ from Wildlife Acoustics. The unit was deployed for most of the week and yielded about 18 hours of acoustic data - day and night recordings of dolphin sounds and ambient sounds (including snapping shrimp!). See the next page for more details on the SM2M+ and Wildlife Acoustics. Our trip this year had more emphasis on research than education and was primarily supported by DCP s first Fund-A-Geek fundraiser conducted during the summer months. A hearty THANK YOU to our sponsors: Karen, Clint, Amparo, Michael & D Ann, Layla, James, Lance & Jeanne, Sunna, Bill, SilverHawk, Kathy, Jaap & Jolanda, Gregory, Jessica, Mindy, Donna & John, Ed and John! Your donations made this research trip for DCP possible! Thank you very much to DCP s FUnd-A-Geek Sponsors! Cheers Kathleen 2 Kathleen deploying the SM2M with dolphin supervision!

3 Wildlife Acoustics supports DCP Our research trip to RIMS included deployment of a passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) recorder. The SM2M+ is one of the newer PAM recorders from Wildlife Acoustics. Dudzinski deployed this PAM recorder, the Song Meter SM2M+ Marine recorder from Wildlife Acoustics. This device permits audio data recording on selected duty cycles and sample rates. For this recording session, the SM2M+ was loaded with a 10 min on/50 min off duty cycle and a 44.1 khz sample rate. This translates to four (4) hours of data recorded per day: the SM2M+ was deployed on Monday (28 October) afternoon and was recovered on Friday (1 Nov) morning. Roughly 18 hours of data were collected and will be analyzed over the next 2-3 months. The photo on the previous page showcases the SM2M+ deployed at RIMS while the photo below represents DCP s SM2M deployed off Bimini to record spotted dolphin and bottlenose dolphin vocal behavior. Check out Wildlife Acoustics Web site (link below) to read more about Wildlife Acoustic s gear and to see Kathleen deploying the SM2M+ at RIMS... with supervision, of course! An SM2M device deployed off Bimini Scientists recently discovered a new species of humpback dolphin (pictured on the right) off the coast of Australia. Based on the findings of our combined morphological and genetic analysis, we can suggest that the humpback dolphin genus includes at least four member species, said Dr. Martin Mendez, one of the researchers involved in the research. This discovery helps our understanding of the evolutionary history of this group and informs conservation policies to help safeguard each of the species. 3

4 Update from the Field: Bimini 2013 End of Season Report Submitted by Kelly Melillo Sweeting Although we are deep into the fall, our effort off Bimini this summer will keep us busy for months to come. We began collecting data in March and had our last trip in late August for a total of 39 dolphin trip excursions, thanks to Sea Crest Hotel & Marina, with whom we continued to collaborate this year. We had 75 dolphin sightings, yielding 187 hours, 51 minutes of effort. We gathered data on dolphin movement patterns, sighting location, species, and group size whenever dolphins were found. When underwater observations were possible, we collected video and audio recordings using the MVA. Photographs were collected using digital still cameras. Surface photographs (primarily dorsal fins) were collected when bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were in view. We worked toward confirming individual dolphin identifications from video and photographic data when sea conditions prevented boat trips and when we had time before boat trips. So far, 16 individual Atlantic spotted dolphins have been confirmed from the photographs and video that have been reviewed. The confirmed IDs include Romeo (#10), Lil Jess (#35), Buster (#04), SplitJaw (#22), Leslie Tilly (#87) and Romeo (#10) playing with seaweed (#80), Prince William (#64), Stefran (#82), Swoosh (#36), Tilly (#87), Tim (#69), Tina (#14), Inka (#93), Speed (#78), and unnamed dolphins ID #99, #95, and #70. It is very likely that the number of confirmed spotted dolphin ID s will increase, and previously un-identified individuals may be added to DCP s photo-identification catalog, as the remaining video and photographic data are processed. Almost 60 GB of video was recorded and the remaining video & photos will be reviewed this fall/winter. All video and acoustic data and still photographs will be analyzed for individual associations, behavioral interactions, and for data related to ongoing research studies by DCP. Thanks to several conservation members to DCP, we sponsored and participated in three local beach clean-ups and plan to continue such activities in It was great to work together to clean up at least a portion of the trash that has or will find its way into the world s oceans. 4

5 DCP met our 2013 educational goals utilizing our research presence in Bimini. In addition to our informal educational sessions with Sea Crest guests, two of our own universitylevel education programs were completed with students visiting Bimini and assisting DCP in our data collection. We were very pleased to again collaborate with professors from the University of New Brunswick Saint John, Canada and from Sacred Heart University (Connecticut, USA) to welcome eight and nine students, respectively, to participate in DCP s dolphin research field course. We continued our Internship Program and Atlantic spotted calves wait to be catalogued! completed beach clean-ups with both university groups and our interns. We collaborated once again with an additional university-level program (Hunter College). This season marked the 13th year of the Bimini Dolphin Project for DCP overall and my 11th season personally. (Wow, but time flies!) Data were gathered to continue our longitudinal study of photoidentification, as well as signal exchange and communication among dolphins. We focus on individual identification and behaviors exchanged in general, as well as examine how signals are related to individuals. Our photo-identification efforts have been expanded to more formally include individual bottlenose dolphins. At the time of this update, we have documented 68 bottlenose dolphins, at least 11 of which have been seen in multiple years. A student from Alaska Pacific University is continuing to work on our bottlenose dolphin photo-id catalog for his senior thesis. These continued efforts allow us to better assess population numbers, site fidelity, etc. of this lesser-understood species around Bimini. Thank you to everyone who supported DCP in Bimini, as DCP supporters or as followers to our updates on the web. We look forward to many more years of research off Bimini and hope you are looking forward to it too! Cheers ~ Kel A trio of bottlenose dolphins 5

6 Justin s book is published! Check out the below info for a special discount 1 20% discount valid until 31st January 2014 valid only when orders are placed directly with OUP Are Dolphins Really Smart? The mammal behind the myth Justin Gregg Gives an up to date account of what we know about dolphins from science Takes a critical look at the myths and pseudoscience notions that abound about dolphins How can we tell? Provides fascinating accounts of ingenious experiments to test the intelligence and other behaviours of dolphins Includes intriguing accounts of the abilities of a variety of animals, such as the crow family and chimpanzees Engaging but scientifically serious account that will fascinate general readers and be invaluable to students of animal behaviour Hardback 320 pages September How intelligent are dolphins? Is their communication system really as complex as human language? And are they as friendly and peaceful as they are made out to be? The Western world has had an enduring love affair with dolphins since the early 1960s, with fanciful claims of their healing powers and super intelligence. Myths and pseudoscience abound on the subject. Justin Gregg weighs up the claims made about dolphin intelligence and separates scientific fact from fiction. He puts our knowledge about dolphin behaviour and intelligence into perspective, with comparisons to scientific studies of other animals, especially the crow family and great apes. He gives fascinating accounts of the challenges of testing what an animal with flippers and no facial expressions might be animal behaviour, Gregg challenges many of the widespread beliefs about dolphins, while also inspiring the reader with the remarkable abilities common to many of the less glamorized animals around us - such as chickens. About the Author Justin Gregg is a research associate with the Dolphin Communication Project, and Co-Editor of the academic journal Aquatic Mammals. He received his doctorate from Trinity College Dublin in 2008, having studied social cognition and the echolocation behavior of wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. With an undergraduate background in linguistics, Justin is particularly interested in the study of dolphin communication as it pertains to comparisons of human (natural) language and animal communication systems. Turn over to order your copy or visit add the title to your shopping basket and use promo code: ATRFLY11 6

7 Top 5 Most Endangered Dolphin Species Although many dolphin species enjoy happy, healthy population numbers, there are a handful of species that are drawing closer to extinction with each passing year. Here are the top 5 most endangered dolphin species (including one porpoise species that deserves to be mentioned). How many will be here for the next generation? Maui s dolphin Maui s dolphins lives off the coast of New Zealand (no, not Hawai i), and with just 55 animals alive today, is the most endangered dolphin species. It is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The biggest threat to this small population is entanglement in fishing gear, and conservationists fear that unless immediate action is taken to prevent entanglements, extinction of this species is imminent. Hector s dolphin Hector s dolphins inhabit a small range off the coast of New Zealand. They are listed as Endangered by the IUCN, with approximately 7,000 individuals alive today. Like all marine mammal species, they are threatened by vessel traffic and pollution, but are particularly vulnerable to fishing gear entanglement and habitat loss due to coastal development. 7

8 Indus and Ganges River dolphin The Indus and Ganges River dolphins (once considered two separate species, but now thought to be the same species) are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. These freshwater dolphins live in the rivers of India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. There are fewer than 2,000 Ganges River dolphins, and around 1,000 Indus River dolphins remaining today. The populations have been declining due to human activity, including habitat destruction due to dam construction, fishing gear entanglement, pollution, prey depletion due to over fishing by humans, and deliberate killing for human consumption. Vaquita The vaquita is a porpoise species (not a dolphin species), but is considered the world s second most-endangered cetacean (after Maui s dolphin), and thus warrants mentioning. It is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with as few as 560 animals alive today. Their numbers have been drastically reduced in recent decades due to entanglement in fishing gear specifically gillnets. Baiji The Baiji or Yangtze River dolphin is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered, but is considered by most scientists to be functionally extinct. This means that during the last extensive survey undertaken in 2006 to find the Baiji, scientists did not see a single animal. There were over 6,000 Baiji recorded in the 1950s, but their numbers had dropped to around 400 animals by the 1980s. By 1997, there were only 13 Baiji remaining. It is possible that there is still a Baiji out there somewhere, but even if there is, this species has almost no chance of recovering its numbers, and is thus functionally extinct. The major threats to the Baiji were/are due to human activity, including fishing gear entanglement, pollution, and habitat destruction. In a sad testament to the loss of this species, the website of the organization created to save the Baiji ( is no longer active. 8 Will the Maui s, Hector s and Indus/ Ganges River dolphins and Vaquita have the same fate as the Baiji??

9 How do you display your adopted dolphin? DCP is proud to announce our Dolphin Display Photo Contest! Are you a proud adoptive parent of one of DCP s adopt-a-wild-dolphins? If so, send us a picture of how you are displaying your adopted dolphin s photo (or other adoption-kit information) in your home. We are looking for creative or eye-catching photo display techniques that show off how awesome your dolphin is, and reveal just how good of an adoptive parent you are! Maybe you keep a picture of your dolphin hanging above your bed? Or, maybe you ve painted a life-sized mural of your adopted dolphin on the wall in your living room? Great! Take a picture and show us! DCP researchers will look at all the photo submissions and pick the grand prize winner, who will receive a free renewal of their adopted dolphin. your photo submissions to: info@dcpmail.org Deadline for receipt of your photos is December 31, 2013! The dolphin display contest winner will be notified by 15 January 2014, with the renewal completed when due Sample photos of your displays will be shared in the next issue of the Gazette, and on DCP s social media sites. To give you a bit of inspiration, check out how Dave M. displays his Noodle certificates! Now that s a proud adopt-a-dolphin parent! 9

10 ID#097 Named! Meet Tootie. DCP is proud to announce the latest wild Atlantic spotted dolphin to receive a name! Tootie is a juvenile female. She was first seen off the island of Bimini, The Bahamas, in 2009, but was not added to DCP s photo-id catalog until Because she was already independent from her mother, we do not know whose calf she is. Although she has one faint scar, overall Tootie is a clean young dolphin with no major scars on her body. So, researchers rely on her spot pattern to identify her. Under her left pectoral fin, she has two spots - like a human having two freckles in her armpit! In 2012, Tootie was seen with fellow juvenile females Tilly (#87) and Noodle (#94) as well as younger dolphins who are too young to be cataloged. We look forward to analyzing 2013 video to see who she hung out with this year! Tootie was named by Lillian Ciardelli in 2013 in honor of her father s late mother Ethel, who everyone called Tootie. You can adopt Tootie by visiting DCP s adopt-a-wild-dolphin page at Tootie Tootie This card is sponsored by dolphin communication project ID number: #097 species: Atlantic spotted dolphin location: Bimini age class: juvenile gender: female personality: peppy Tootie was first seen off the island of Bimini, The Bahamas, in 2009, but was not added to DCP's photo-id catalogue until Because she was already independent from her mother, we do not know whose calf she is. If you look under her left pectoral fin, you'll see two spots - like a human having two freckles in her armpit! To learn more about Tootie, or to adopt Tootie, visit our website at 10

11 Adopt a Wild Dolphin What s in your Adoption Kit? Dolphins currently up for adoption Adopting a wild dolphin with DCP helps to fund: The purchase of new research equipment (e.g., cameras, underwater microphones) Conservation and education programs on Bimini, in the US and around the world An official adoption certificate Photograph of your adopted dolphin Details on how to download dolphin vocalizations from the Bimini adopt-adolphins as a ringtone or audio file DVD containing video of the Bimini dolphins Biography of your adopted dolphin Welcome letter and registration info Information Booklet with Atlantic spotted dolphin fact sheet and info about the Dolphin Communication Project Dolphin trading card sample dolphin communication project Tootie Publication and dissemination of DCP s research results to the scientific community and the general public Maintenance of the DCP website, field reports, and our podcast The Dolphin Pod Classroom education programs for school-aged children including DCP Youth Program, Dolphin Research Trainee, Classroom Connections Volunteer, ecotour and internship opportunities for the public Meet Tootie! She s now available for adoption! Check page 10 and our website for details. Holiday gift ideas Adopt-a-wild-dolphin t-shirts tinyurl.com/ylfx44v 11

12 12 DCP Announcements! DCP is proud to welcome Miles David Sweeting to the planet!! Miles is the beautiful baby boy born to DCP s Bimini Field Site Manager and all around awesome new mom Kelly Melillo Sweeting and Al Sweeting! Between Kel s work with DCP, and Al s work as a tour operator in Bimini, we sure hope Miles like the ocean! Here, Miles is already showing his enthusiasm for DCP by rocking a DCP bodysuit from com.

13 Name-A-Dolphin DCP is proud to announce the latest opportunity for you to name a wild Atlantic spotted dolphin! 13 DCP ID#095 is a juvenile male. He lives off the island of Bimini, The Bahamas, and was first seen by DCP in Like many of the spotted dolphins off Bimini, ID#095 was already independent from his mother when we were able to catalogue him and we do not know who his mother is. We recognize ID#095 most easily when we see his right side where he has a faint blotch beneath his developing spots. Of course, we also like to see the spots on his left side and look forward to see all the spots he develops in the years to come. So far, ID#095 has been seen swimming with Tilly (#87), Milo (#96) and other spotted friends. Now that you know a bit more about ID#095, what name do you think suits him best? The cost to give a name to ID#095 - a rare and unique opportunity - is $750. If you ve got a name in mind, you can purchase your name-a-dolphin kit today! To name ID#095, please visit: After you make your purchase (using PayPal via the DCP website), we will contact you for more information about the name you ve chosen. What you will receive in your Name-A-Dolphin kit personal welcome letter a certificate of naming a photo of your named dolphin suitable for framing a biography of your named dolphin unique footage of the dolphin you have named (a track on the adopt-a-dolphin DVD) an adopt-a-dolphin DVD with footage of the Bimini dolphin group a personalized adoption t-shirt showcasing an image of your named dolphin information about DCP and our research around Bimini Dolphins: The Lighter Side DVD A copy of the book Dolphin Mysteries, signed by Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski Dolphin Communication Project note cards and/or postcards (packet of 10) 10% discount on DCP eco-tour (valid for 2 years) an electronic subscription to the Dolphin Gazette, DCP s quarterly newsletter

14 DCP s Adopt-a-Dolphin Program DCP currently has ~20 dolphins from our catalog of Atlantic spotted dolphins residing around Bimini, The Bahamas available for adoption. While adoptive parents do not get to take their dolphins home, they will receive a certificate of adoption, a photo of their adopted dolphin, some facts about Atlantic spotted dolphins, information about DCP and our research around Bimini and a dolphin video. They will also receive the most recent edition of the Dolphin Gazette, DCP s quarterly newsletter, announced quarterly by eblast. Be sure to send us your address, or subscribe online at the newsletter page!. Please SEND my adoption package to: All dolphin adoptions through DCP help support our dolphin research throughout the world, and the creation and implementation of local, national, and international education programs for students of all ages. Each adoption costs $30 and lasts for one year. Become a spotted dolphin parent today & support valuable scientific research!. Some of our dolphins are listed below. For a complete list & all dolphin biographies, check out Yes! I want to Juliette Niecey Tilly Swoosh Milo Lone Star Trudy Tina Lumpy Lil Jess adopt a dolphin! Freckles Split jaw Noodle I would like to adopt a dolphin: $30 for one year. Dolphin name: Please cut out and mail your order form, with check, to DCP at P.O. Box 711, Old Mystic, CT Credit card payment is available online through our web site at If this is a gift, please note gift GIVER address: Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Postcards $1.00 each/ 3 for $2 Iruka Gear To purchase Iruka gear visit Bookmarks $0.25 each/ 5 for $1.00 Membership $100 Bimini : Calendar, 6 Dolphin Trading Cards, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letters from Kathleen Dudzinski and from Kelly Melillo Sweeting $100 DE : DE adopt-a-dolphin kit, Dolphin calendar, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letter $100 RIMS : DVD about RIMS dolphins, Dolphin calendar, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letter $1,000 Research : Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin kit, Calendar, Water bottle, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letter, Update following dolphin survey Notecards $2.50 each/ 3 for $6 DCP Gear To purhcase DCP gear, visit $500 Education : Dolphin Activity Guide and DVD, Calendar, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letter, Signed copy of Dolphin Mysteries. A visit from a DCP researcher OR a free Classroom Connections program $200 Dolphin Pod : Calendar, Water bottle, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letter, Involvement in the podcast episode $150 Conservation : Calendar, Water bottle, DCP Info Booklet, Personal welcome letter, Personalized update following Bimini beach clean-ups Support DCP s research efforts buy purchasing some of the many products that we offer for sale. All products seen here are also available on our website: All profits from the 14 sale of these products will directly fund DCP s research and education efforts. DCP is a nonprofit organization.

15 Smartphones to the rescue Two new smartphone apps are now available for iphone and Android devices: Dolphin & Whale 911 and See & ID Dolphins & Whales Dolphin & Whale 911 enables the public in the Southeast U.S. to immediately report live or dead stranded, injured, or entangled marine mammals by connecting them to the nearest stranding response hotline which is detected through the phone s internal GPS system. The app will help the user identify the stranded animal by providing an electronic field guide of marine mammals found in the Southeastern U.S. and also provides a list of do s and don ts or tips on what to do when you find a live or dead stranded marine mammal. The app allows users to take and send a photo of the marine mammal that is time/date/gps coordinate stamped directly to the stranding network. Dolphin & Whale 911 SEE & ID Dolphins & Whales is an electronic field guide that assists the public in identifying marine mammals in the Southeast U.S. and provide species information such as physical description, biology, habitat, conservation/status and photos. The app also informs that public of appropriate ways to enjoy viewing marine mammals in the wild without harming or harassing them. The apps are currently available for download on itunes and in the Google Play store. Scan the QR Codes with your smartphone to download See & ID Dolphins & Whales NOAA Fisheries, in partnership with Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) and Versar-Geo-Marine, Inc. and with the technical expertise from Applied Research Associates, worked collaboratively to develop these smartphone apps. For more information, visit 15

16 16 Puzzle Your Way to RIMS As DCP reviews data from our return to our RIMS field site, help celebrate with this activity!