In this issue. Thank you! Thank you to our volunteers: Binti Ackley for her tireless efforts keeping all the member and adoption records up-to-date.

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1 volume 12 issue u Kathleen s new book will be published in october - get a sneak preview udo dolphins have personalities? Stan Kuczaj is sure that they do u DCPYP students learn all about dolphin science.. 6 The Dolphin gazette The Dolphin Communication Project (DCP) is focused on the dual goals of scientific research and education. RIMS or bust! DCP Dolphin Research Trainees 2008 Newsletter for the Dolphin communication project The third annual DCP Dolphin Research Trainee (aka DCP DRTs) program is in full swing! We have two more classes for the semester followed by a two month wait for our trip to Anthony s Key Resort on Roatan, Honduras. Last year, the second DRT team traveled to Mikura and Tokyo with Kathleen and two Pine Point School teachers. This spring, our team includes nine 7th and 8th grade students who have been learning about dolphins and DCP s dolphin studies, especially our program at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences, but also about the culture, language, food types, history and geography of Roatan. The DRTs will travel with Kathleen and Gary Williams to Roatan in August for our week-inthe-field program. This year, each student will have brought a question that he/she wants to answer. They will also continue to assist with our data collection on dolphin behavior and communication. We ll have an update in the fall issue of the Gazette and post field reports when we travel to Honduras. In this issue D o l p h i n P e r s o n a l i t i e s K a t h l e e n s U p d a t e D C P Y P R e c a p B i m i n i U p d a t e J u s t i n g e t s a P h D K a t h l e e n s N e w B o o k P e a r l t h e P i n k D o l p h i n The Dolphin Gazette is printed on 100% recycled paper! Mailing Address Dolphin Communication Project P.O. Box 711 Old Mystic, CT USA Thank you! Thank you to our volunteers: Binti Ackley for her tireless efforts keeping all the member and adoption records up-to-date. Thank you to Whitney, Tabby and Nicole for their continued assistance with data analyses. Summer Internships If you are interested in interning with DCP during an autumn, fall or summer semester, more information is available on our website. Please note, only a limited number of internships include field work. For more information, check out page 5 of this issue, visit the DCP web site or contact us at info@ dolphincommunicationproject.org.

2 Tis the Season for Data Collection! A message from Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, Director of the Dolphin Communication Project Summer 2008 Brings Variety Each summer season brings overlap between field seasons and sessions for the DCP research team. So, this year, we are shaking things up a bit. Our data collection season around Mikura Island will be much shorter than usual and is planned for September. We have a week session planned at RIMS in August with our DRT team as assistants. For The Bahamas, we have lengthened the term for observations at Bimini and are currently coordinating for a second 2008 session at Dolphin Encounters. Kelly Melillo will be overseeing our program from Bimini and actually arrived early to Bimini, in March DCP is establishing a field station on Bimini nicknamed, DolphinLab. Kelly will reside on Bimini year-round and continue to coordinate our data collection with residents. We are delighted to be offering our second annual field internship on Bimini. Two interns will join Kelly for the month of July to apply skills they learn during a pre-field session at the DCP office. W e are launching our first eco-tour from Bimini in June! This trip is a couple of days shorter than our weeklong program at RIMS and will offer participants a variety of opportunities to snorkel with local marine life, in addition to assistance with our dolphin data collection. O ur supporters will notice a wonderful new book available on DCP s web site store: Pearl the Pink Dolphin by Tony Guzzi. Guzzi Studios generously donated 50 books to DCP from which proceeds will support our Our DCPYP 2008 program was a huge success as evidenced by the dolphinlike smiles on the faces of our DCPYP teamt 2 education and research programs. The story is delightful and a must-read for young people interested in dolphins and the sea. D r. Stan Kuczaj contributed an intriguing feature article to this issue of the Gazette in which he asks: Do dolphins have personalities? Can only people have personalities? How does one define personality? I ll let you read his thoughts and make up your own mind on this new topic in science. O ur DCPYP 2008 program was a huge success as evidenced by the dolphin-like smiles on the faces of our DCPYP team. Their mimicry of dolphin and DCP researcher behaviors was right on! A nd, as always, this issue of our newsletter contains updates and information about DCP, our field work and our program offerings. Stay tuned to the Bimini field reports where Kelly will provide regular updates on the antics of the dolphins around Bimini. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Cheers, Kathleen Director, DCP

3 Pearl the Pink Dolphin DCP has received a generous donation of 50 copies of the children s book Pearl the Pink Dolphin Thanks Guzzi Studios! Pearl the Pink Dolphin is a children s fairy tale written by Tony Guzzi and illustrated by Tom Guzzi of Guzzi Studios. Fifty copies of the book have been generously donated to the Dolphin Communication Project by Guzzi Studios, and all proceeds from the sale of Pearl the Pink Dolphin via the DCP website will benefit DCP - helping to fund our research and education programs. You can order your copy of the book by visiting the DCP website: www. dolphincommunicationproject.org - and clicking on Shop-->DCP Merchandise-->Books-->Pearl the Pink Dolphin The story focuses on a young dolphin named Pearl who, unlike her friends and family, is born pink instead of gray. Pearl changes her looks to fit in, only to find she was liked for who she already was. ISBN: X (Picture Book) Pages: 30 Subject: Fiction / General Book Format: Square 8.5 x 8.5 Reading Level: 1-6 Age Level: 4-10 Guzzi studios also has an online version of the book available, complete with an audio recording of the text at the following website: We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Guzzi Studios for donating these books, and encourage our supports to pick up a copy from the DCP store before we run out of stock! Kathleen s new book DCP director Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski has written a new book together with Dr. Toni Frohoff about dolphin-dolphin and dolphin-human communication. Dolphin Mysteries A new book from Kathleen M. Dudzinski (Director of the Dolphin Communication Project) and Toni Frohoff (Terramar Research) will be available from Yale University Press in October The title is: Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the secrets of communication. A note from the authors: Our book is about dolphin-dolphin and dolphin-human communication and is written for a general audience. We present accurate facts about dolphins generally and about their communication, cognition and conservation as well. We illustrate our text with stories from our field experiences. Our book is six chapters and about 250 pages. The prose is illustrated beautifully with original sketches and photography. Photography in the book by John Anderson. Illustrations in the book by John Norton. You can pre-order your copy of the book today. Check out the DCP website for more details. 3

4 Do Dolphins Have PERSONALITIES? by Stan Kuczaj Anyone who has spent any time observing or interacting with dolphins realizes that not all dolphins are the same. Some dolphins appear more curious than others, and some dolphins are more likely to behave aggressively. But do individual differences such as these reflect dolphin personalities or other factors such as a dolphin s recent experience or the social context in which it finds itself? The answer to this question depends in large part on the stability of these individual differences. Personality is typically defined as an individual s distinguishing pattern of behavior which remains consistent over time and across situations (Pervin and John, 1997). Do individual differences in dolphins exhibit sufficient consistency to be labeled personalities? For the past several years, Lauren Highfill and I have been intrigued by the possibility of dolphin personalities. We constructed a questionnaire that allowed humans who were familiar with individual dolphins to rate the dolphins on personality dimensions that are commonly used in research on both animal and human personality. We have obtained ratings on both captive and wild dolphins, and believe that dolphins do in fact have distinct individual personalities. To date, our best evidence for dolphin personalities comes from a study of captive dolphins that were housed at MarineLife Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi (Highfill & Kuczaj, 2007). Humans rated the personality characteristics of 16 bottlenose dolphins (12 females and 4 males) that were housed in three separate pools at this facility. The results indicated that the dolphins had individually distinctive personalities. But since these ratings were done over a short period of time, we could not be certain about the consistency of these individual differences. Unfortunately for the residents of Mississippi (including the dolphins at MarineLife), Hurricane Katrina devestated much of southern Mississippi shortly after we had completed our original research. MarineLife Oceanarium was destroyed, and eight dolphins that had been moved to other temporary locations now had no permanent home. The other eight dolphins had remained at MarineLife in a large structure that had survived Hurricane Camille but did not survive Hurricane Katrina. The fate of these eight animals was unknown until approximately two weeks later, when they were all sighted together very close to the site of the destroyed oceanarium. The animals appeared to be malnourished and had suffered a variety of cuts and abrasions. The animals were subsequently rescued and housed in temporary pools at a nearby naval base. Fifteen of the 16 dolphins were subsequently moved to a facility in The Bahamas. These 15 dolphins had experienced many changes. Their home had been destroyed - for eight of the dolphins, this occurred while they were in one of the pools. These eight dolphins managed to survive Hurricane Katrina, then struggled to survive in the waters of Mississippi Sound, and finally experienced rescue and relocation operations. The remaining dolphins also experienced relocations to various sites. had any involvement with the original personality assessments. When we compared the results of the two personality measures for each of the 15 dolphins that were rated in both Mississippi and The Bahamas, we found very similar personality profiles for 13 of the 15 dolphins, demonstrating that dolphin personalities are indeed stable over time and across situations. The answer to the question that comprises the title of this article is yes. Dolphins do have distinct personalities. However, the study of dolphin personality is still in its infancy. There is much that remains to be learned. For example, we know virtually nothing about how dolphin personality develops, including the ways in which temperament is related to personality. As noted above, personality is an individual s enduring behavioral tendencies that remain relatively constant across time and situations, and which distinguishes an individual from others. Temperament refers to an individual s behavioral tendencies that are present at birth (or shortly thereafter), and which provide the foundation for personality. Although temperament is commonly assumed to be genetically determined, it seems likely that the prenatal environment also plays a role. Temperament interacts with experience after birth to produce an individual s personality, but the manner in which this occurs for dolphins is unknown. In closing, I want to address the notion that the study of animal personality is anthropomorphic. Stating that dolphins have distinct personalities is not anthropomorphic unless we unjustifiably attribute human personality characteristics to dolphins. The comparative study of personality does not claim that human personality and animal personality are the same. What it does hypothesize is that the study of individual differences in animals is just as important as the study of individual differences in humans. Stan Kuczaj Approximately 14 months after Hurricane Katrina, and after the dolphins had been housed at Atlantis for approximately nine months, we asked the trainers in The Bahamas to rate the personality characteristics of the 15 dolphins that had been moved there from Mississippi. It is important to note that these trainers had never seen the results of the first personality assessments of these dolphins. In fact, none of these trainers 4 Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory University of Southern Mississippi References Highfill, L. & Kuczaj, S. II (2007). Do bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have distinct and stable personalities? Aquatic Mammals, 33, Pervin, L. & John, O. P. (1997). Personality: Theory and research (7th ed.). New York: Wiley.

5 Justin gets his PhD DCP research associate Justin Gregg succesfully defended his PhD dissertation in April. Justin is (was!) a student in the School of Psychology at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. His research topic focused on eavesdropping behavior in dolphins. Data for his project were collected from DCP s research site at Mikura Island in Japan. His dissertation was examined by noted dolphin scientist Manuel dos Santos and Tim Trimble of Trinity College. A PDF version of Justin s dissertation will soon be available for download on the DCP website. Among his findings, Justin discovered that dolphins appear to alter their normal behavior when listening to the echolocation of other dolphins: they remain more silent and appear to align their heads. This suggests that dolphins might in fact rely on the echolcation of their friends to help them investigate objects in their environment. For more information about his reearch topic, check out the Scientific Publications section of the DCP website. CONGRATULATIONS JUSTIN! O n g o i n g V o l u n t e e r Opportunities DCP offers internships during fall, spring, and summer semesters. Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the year, once you have completed a Volunteer Training Session. Anyone wishing to assist DCP may do so in a variety of ways: on an ecotour, on data analyses at the DCP office, or on various topics pertaining to other programs ongoing at DCP. Check us out online! Bimini Field Update - Spring 2008 DCP Research Associate Kelly Melillo has been on Bimini Island, The Bahamas since March,2008 for our earliest start yet for the Bimini field season. Hello from Bimini Our season started early this year when I arrived on Bimini on 16 March. It s been a quiet spring, but that has given me time to finalize my Master s thesis and prepare it for publication. However, we ve already had the chance to go and observe a few of the resident Atlantic spotted dolphins Split Jaw (#22), White Blotch (#29), Billy (#64), Nemo (#76), Leslie (#80), and I think Cerra (#38) with her first calf! As with each season, the first time we see these same animals again, it is thrilling to see their new spots and the new calves. We finished last season with 89 spotteds in our photo-id catalog we ll see how many we add this year! You can learn more about individual spotted dolphins, and support DCP s research, by adopting a dolphin. The kits are great and include photos, biography and a DVD (see order form in this newsletter or order online). The exciting spotted dolphin reunion was followed by our first clear and documented observations of four offshore bottlenose dolphins! These larger, darker dolphins have been observed in other parts of The Bahamas and occasionally in Bimini, but it was a first for me. Although both are considered common bottlenose dolphins, there are two ecotypes. Generally we see the inshore (or coastal) eco-type here (we have 24 individuals documented). It was thrilling to see this offshore (or oceanic) group. Perhaps they will pass by again this season! As I write this update, I am organizing travel plans for an upcoming workshop with the newly formed Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding The Dolphin Pod on itunes Regular listeners to The Dolphin Pod may have noticed that new episodes were not showing up in the itunes podcast directory. After a bit of Apple Magic, The Dolphin Pod is now listed correctly in itunes, and you should once again be able to subscribe to the podcast via itunes. Our latest episode (from the end of April) features an in-depth look at how dolphins communicate - a fitting podcast topic for the Dolphin Communication Project, don t you think? 5 Network ( During the first weekend of May, a few Biminites and I will join other Bahamians in Nassau to learn a bit about stranding response and how the network will be organized. Check my field reports for an update on this meeting and all the other stories this season will bring! For example, in June, DCP will be leading our own dolphin week. There are still spaces available on this eco-tour, which will allow guests the chance to not only get up close and personal with Bimini s wild dolphins, but also assist with the research (or relax on the beach!). We still have a few spaces available, but these won t be around for long. So, sign up and come visit! (check out the DCP website for more info: www. dolphincommunicationproject. org) July will bring the 2008 interns and hopefully, good weather. I ll be joined once again by Tabby Baker, who is graduating from Roger Williams University later this month (congratulations Tabby!) and Adam Smith from the University of Minnesota. Tabby and Adam will first complete 6 weeks of work at the DCP office before joining me in the field. It will be great to have their assistance and to pass along DCP s knowledge and research to more students. Of course, I am looking forward to seeing as much of the dolphins as possible while interacting with all eco-tour passengers. We once again extend our sincere thanks to Bimini Undersea (www. wilddolphins.com) and Al Sweeting, Jr. (www. biminiadventures.com) Kel for space on their boats.

6 The DCPYP 2008 class with Kathleen after finishing their pool session. From left to right: Porter, Alex, Chris, Athan, Liam, and Kathleen in the back. DCP s Youth Program DCPYP DCP offered its second annual Youth Program (aka DCPYP) to five students from Pine Point School this past spring semester. The DCPYP is a semester long program of 10 classes during which the students learn about all things dolphin. We begin with photoidentification and move to behavior, dolphin sounds, culture and distribution and geography. The students learn about DCP s four field sites, our research projects and the species of dolphin that DCP researchers study. Each class is punctuated by activities designed to provide hands on learning and promote conservation. In their first class, the students learned about dolphin anatomy and we created model dolphins from recycled plastic bags. Thus, besides learning about dolphin bodies, we also learned about how plastic can harm animals in the sea. One of the classes for the program is a pool session where students get to learn more about, and then actually use, Kathleen s mobile video/acoustic system. Kathleen and the DCPYP team prepare the MVA for use in the pool Each DCPYP student practiced their best dolphin imitation and DCP researcher imitation as they used the MVA in the pool. Though we only had five students this semester, their enthusiasm for the topic and class was high: we all had a blast! 6

7 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 DVD. They will also receive the most recent edition of the Dolphin Gazette, DCP s quarterly newsletter, with three more issues to be mailed or ed over the one-year adoption period. Please SEND my adoption package to: All dolphin adoptions through DCP help support our dolphin research throughout the world, as well as 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 and 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 Dolphin Dandy Swoosh Stefran Lone Star Tim Tiny Lumpy adopt a dolphin! Lil Jess Freckles Split jaw Vincent 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 $15 Student welcome packet Membership $25 Individual : welcome packet $35 Outside US : welcome packet $45 Family : 3 notecards, 3 postcards, & welcome packet $75 Supporting : 3 notecards, 3 postcards, copy of Dolphins The Lighter Side & welcome packet $250 Contributing : 1 DCP tank top, 1 DCP t-shirt, 3 notecards, 3 postcards, copy of Dolphins The Lighter Side & welcome packet Notecards $2.50 each/ 3 for $6 DCP Gear To purchase DCP gear, visit $500 Patron : Limited edition matted print suitable for framing, 1 DCP tank top, 1 DCP t-shirt, 3 notecards, 3 postcards, copy of Dolphins The Lighter Side & welcome packet $1000 Benefactor : 25% discount for individual sponsors on a DCP Bahamas Ecotour trip, Limited edition matted print suitable for framing, 1 DCP tank top, 1 DCP t-shirt, 3 notecards, 3 postcards, copy of Dolphins The Lighter Side & welcome packet Support DCP s research efforts by purchasing some of the many products that we offer for sale.all products seen here are available on our website: All profits from the sale of these 7 products will directly fund DCP s research and education efforts. DCP is a federal 501c3 nonprofit organization.

8 Postage Dolphin Communication Project P.O. Box 711 Old Mystic, CT USA To be removed from our mailing list, please contact us through our website at: The DolphinGazette is printed on 100% recycled paper! DCP accepts local volunteers for data analyses any time during the year at our office Unlocking Connecticut. the secrets We DO of NOT dolphin accept volunteers, communication... except for and ecotours, sharing for field work our at discoveries any of our field with sites. the If world you d like to become a DCP volunteer and help with data analyses and other details then please contact us at: info@dolphincommunictionproject.org For more information on volunteering or internships, please visit our web site: