Dolphin Explorer Chronicles: November 2011

Kent Morse

Two of the five births in Area 1 surprised us in that they did not from dolphins that had yet been identified as adult females. On October 1st Batman and Button, two dolphins that had previously been categorized as sub-adults, showed up with recently born calves in tow. This is exciting for a couple reasons: we can now identify their gender (for a dolphin, showing up with a baby is a dead give-away in this respect) and, with the possible exception of Darwina in 2006, these are the first births in our study area that we can be certain are first calves for these mothers. Statistically first time births are less likely to survive the first year, but to date, Robin and Zipper appear to be doing fine. As calving season in this Area extends into the first months of winter, there may yet be more surprises from the sub-adults of Area 1.

_{Button and new calf Zipper}

_{Button and Zipper}

Kent Morse

Birthing season started with a bang this year with five new calves appearing in Area 1 in the span of one week between September 25th and October 1st. An additional 3 calves were born to Area 3 dolphins. We didn't actually witness the births so we don't know their precise birthdays but all of the YOYs (young of year) bore visible fetal fold marks that suggests we observed them within a couple weeks of their entry into the world. So far three of the new calves have been born to experienced mothers with intervals of 3 and 4 years since their previous birth while two calves were born to first time mothers.

Three of the calves were born to experienced mothers:

After a three year interval since her previous calf's birth, Darwina was observed on September 25 , 2011 with a new calf that passengers aboard the Dolphin Explorer named Omni. This the third birth to Darwina we have recorded. In September of 2006 she gave birth to a calf, perhaps her first, named Bouncer; this calf survived only two months. She had better luck the second time around and Gumbo, born December 2008 and now almost three years old has (so far) succesfully made the transition to independence.

_{Darwina and new calf Omni}

Sparkle was observed on September 27, 2011 with a new calf we named Wintriss. This is the third calf we have observed Sparkle caring for since we began the study in 2006. There was a four year interval between the arrival of Wintress and the birth of her previous calf, Hilton. Prior to Hilton's birth she was observed with a calf named Farkle. Hilton is definately still alive and Farkle may be as well but we have lost track of this dolphin.

_{Sparkle and new calf Wintriss}

Tattoo appeared with a new calf on October 3, 2011 and this Dolphin was named Crafton after Crafton Elementary School in Pennsylvania that recently joined our team of naturalists studying the bottlenose dolphins of Southwest Florida. Tattoo has also had three calves since she showed up on our radar. In her first sighting in 2005 she was with a very young calf, Baby Tattoo, but this calf apparently did not survive its first year. She did not give birth again until November 2008 and, like Darwina, this time around there was a happier outcome. Her calf Destiny has graduated to sub-adult status and as of this writing is alive and well.

Tattoo and Crafton

_{Crafton with fetal fold marks still visible}

Tattoo and Crafton near mangroves

Birthing season often extend into February so we may yet see more dolphins born in Area 1. Several known mothers are candidates. For example Nibbles last gave birth in 2007 and her calf Jayson has been on his own for much of the past year. Trigger gave birth in 2007 to a calf that did not survive the year and she may yet give birth. KayCee, a dolphin that divides her time between Naples and Marco has also gone four years since she gave birth to Slick Joey. The rest of the 20 or so adult females that regularly appear in Area 1 are still caring for calves that were born in the last two years and are not likely to bring anoter life into the world this year. But, there may well be more surprises in store from those dolphins we have categorized as sub-adults.

_{Jayson (center) with two older sub-adults, Rocky and Ellie May}