Bottlenose Dolphins

Second, they formed a tight line stage reducing their interpair spacing, and began to undulate their swimming path up and down. During the third stage, spinner dolphins formed a circle surrounding the preys after prey densities increased as to avoid dolphins. Last stage, each pair of dolphins had the opportunity actively fed on the prey for about 10s inside the circle before taking the positions of other pairs. In this study, two response variables can be found which were the whistles rates and echolocation click rates. Both of these response variables were dependent on the foraging patterns as different foraging patterns produced different rates and sound. Besides that, the whistle rates and echolocation rates can also affected by water depth because sound can only detected within scattering layer in this

For the first seven months of their training period, the dolphins were acquainted with several gestures and sounds. They were presented with simple two-choice sound-discrimination stimuli to familiarize them with some sounds that the study would use. Correct responses were rewarded with freshly thawed silver smelt fish. The positive reinforcement aimed at developing a positive attitude toward learning and encouraging dolphins to solve problems. Gestural training was also initiated in this period to accustom the dolphins to responses that that would later be expected from them in the study. Akeakamai was made to specialize in gestural

Dolphins are social animals, when in the wild they live in pods varying in sizes from 2-40 dolphins. They develop a social hierarchy with either a head male or female to essentially lead the group. In comparison, social bonds between dolphins and even their trainers in their tanks have also been found to have remarkable bonds, and specifically the partnership between the dolphin and its trainer has been notarized for their mutual respect. However, the human communication is nothing in comparison to the conversing between an actual pods of dolphins in the wild with one ultimate goal of survival.

Contrary to marketing claims touting the effectiveness of sonic and ultrasonic devices, studies demonstrated that they had little if any effect (Belant et al., 1998, January). Due to the lack of demonstrable effectiveness of sonic and ultrasonic devices, they were not used in this project. Bio-acoustic devices had recently been employed to some effect. One study using bio acoustics showed great promise (Hildreth et al., 2013). It used eight distress calls of deer (recorded during capture and release events) then played back when a deer crossed into the feeding area. Although the device was only tested for two week, the “deer-activated bioacoustics frightening device (DABAFD) … was nearly 100% effective at reducing the number of times deer entered protected sites and 100% effective at reducing feed consumption.” (Hildreth et al., 2013, p. 110). The limited duration of the study notwithstanding, a bio acoustic type device was intended to be incorporated into the

Recent Off-Shore drilling in the United States in the Atlantic Ocean has had a very negative effect on Bottlenose Dolphins. The noise caused from drilling has negatively affected their ability to communicate effectively. Recently off-shore drilling has increased to help create more jobs in America however, the Bottlenose Dolphins have been paying the price. Off-shore drilling creates lots of boat traffic around the drilling areas which interferes with the dolphins ability to communicate through echolocation. However the main interference with dolphins communication has been caused by seismic testing from these boats. Seismic testing is when loud blasts of compressed air are sent deep into the ocean to bounce off the seafloor to test to

These smart and intelligent animals are also sometimes spotted following fishing boats in hopes of dining on leftovers. Bottlenose dolphins track down their prey through the use of echolocation. “Bottlenose dolphins travel in groups and communicate with each other with a complex system of squeaks and whistles. Bottlenose dolphins are well known as the intelligent and charismatic stars  of many aquarium shows. Their curved mouths give the appearance of a friendly, permanent smile, and they can be trained to perform complex tricks.

I have read the introduction of this report. The title of is similar to other reports about bottlenose dolphins identifying members by signature whistles. However, one critical point mentioned in the introduction is that dolphins are the only other animals that transmit identity information independent of the caller’s voice or location. This gives the research a solid evidence because no other animals have this ability so close to the human society as dolphins, which supports the point that dolphins are one of the most highly intelligent animals on Earth besides humans. The experiment conducted in the report will give further examples for this

A topic that is known for its controversy is the use of acoustic pingers on fishing nets in an attempt to reduce marine mammal bycatch. While this idea seems appealing and has its potential benefits, there are also drawbacks to the use of this kind of device as well. When a device such as the acoustic pinger is invented, it is important to consider the various types of impacts it will have, especially in terms of marine mammal species conservation.

There is something about dolphins that fascinates me. They are some of the most intelligent and beautiful animals that I have ever seen. Their faces are so cute that every time I look at a dolphin it looks like it is smiling at me and wants to tell me something. The noises they make represent some kind of language and it makes me wonder if they can really communicate. I also want to know what kind of feeling they have and whether they have emotions. This is why I chose to do this I-search project on dolphins; the different kinds of dolphins there are, the places that they can be found and their mental abilities.

Results in the present study produced using the group membership method resemble those found by Lusseau et al. (2003) in which the Doubtful Sound population could be divided into three sub-groups. The composition of groups however is somewhat different. This is in part due to different individuals being present / alive during their study than in the current study. Where all individuals present in both studies are placed across all three defined groups in Lusseau et al.’s (2003) study, all but Kringel fall into the same single group in the present study. This suggests that, while the overall sub-group structure may have been maintained over time, there is a degree of fluidity among members of sub-groups. This is the very nature of a fission-fusion society, where group composition is dynamic over time (Grellier et al. 2003). The three sub-groups may be an apparently permanent feature of the population when using the group membership method, with the fission-fusion nature of bottlenose dolphins defining the composition of each group through time. It must be noted however that Lusseau et al.’s (2003) study was over a period of seven years, where 546 days were spent on the water. Due to the immense differences in field effort, direct comparisons are made with caution. Previous pilot work, which spanned only 6 days, also yielded similar results using the group membership method.

Sound has different properties in water than it has in the air; it travels much faster and further than that of in the air. So many sea animals have poor vision and rely upon sound as a primary sense. As well as sea animals and fish also use and respond to underwater sound. Noise pollution can cause deafness and interference with fish communication, schooling and habitat utilization (Weilgart 2008). There is also a possibility that marine mammal’s ability to catch prey can be interrupted and blocked through noise pollution which also impacts communication between group members. This can cause navigational errors which have been shown to lead to mass standings’. It can be difficult for whales to distinguish between some noises

While they are traveling, the dolphins often ride on bow waves or stern waves. They learned this from riding ocean swells, which they learn naturally. A bottlenose dolphin can jump up to 16 ft above the water level. When they land, it is on either their back, belly or side. This action is called a breach. Dolphins will breach for show just to get attention. To protect pods from danger, larger adult males will swim around the group and watch for predators. Their actions are like scouting for the pod. If one dolphin is sick or hurt, two others will assist it to the surface so it can breathe (Entertainment). Unlike humans, dolphins are voluntary breathers. One part of their brain must always be active in order to survive. The dolphin needs to remember to swim to the surface every so often to breathe. A dolphin can hold it’s breath for up to seven minutes. When they inhale, they’re exchanging eighty percent of the contents in their lungs (Animal Fact

The bottlenose dolphin falls into many categories. According to San Francisco State University of Department of Geography “the bottlenose dolphin falls into the oceanic family, which is comprised of thirty-four species. It has been concluded that dolphins, porpoises, and whales evolved from Mesonychilds, a group of land-loving carnivores. They have been estimated to have lived 60 to 35 million years ago. These mammals eventually explored the seam resulting in the morphological and physiological changes of their bodies to suit their newly discovered habitat”(Cadelinia 1). When looking at timeline pictures of these mammals, it seems to be that the shape of their beak has changed overtime

Beaked whales are whales that use noise to communicate. Any type of unusual noises underwater can cause problems, so if there is a background coming from our equipment then they can't really communicate. You might be thinking, " It should be okay if they can't communicate." Well you are wrong. You see, whales use there communication as a backup if they are in trouble, such as being attacked, or even stuck for that matter.

Dolphins’ senses are very developed. Most dolphins have acute eyesight, both in and out of the water, and they can hear frequencies ten times or more above the upper limit of adult human hearing. Hearing is also used for echolocation, which all dolphins have. Dolphin teeth are believed to function as antennae to receive incoming sound and to pinpoint the exact location of an object. Beyond locating an object, echolocation also provides the animal with an idea on the object's shape and size, though how exactly this works is not yet understood. The dolphin's sense of touch is also well-developed, with free nerve endings densely packed in the skin, especially around the snout, pectoral fins and genital area. However, dolphins lack an olfactory