VOLUME 18 uLook at us!...2 uRIMS Update....3 ISSUE 4 2014 The Dolphin gazette uHoliday Specials!....4 N E W S L E T T E R F O R T H E D O L P H I N C O M M U N I C AT I O N P R O J E C T The Dolphin Communication Project (DCP) is focused on the dual goals of scientific research and education. Happy Holidays! Check out our NEW website! I am not sure where this year has gone! The holiday season is already upon us! At DCP, we’ve been very busy. And, not only with data analyses. With this issue of the Dolphin Gazette, we proudly announce our completely NEW website! Check it out at www. dolphincommunicationproject.org. Our site is now full of updated content, more details about our collaborators and a more clear mission statement and focus for our programs - both research and education! (We have more than 1900 pages of information about dolphin science!) We also have several holiday special offers and a few new products available to support our program. Also in this issue, Kel summarizes the Bimini field season and I present an overview of my field session to Roatan in October. We also include details about DCPs 2015 ecotour offerings - to Roatan and a special SCUBA trip to Orange Cay! For our college student readers, check out the information about Sacred Heart University’s field course to Bimini, The Bahamas! There are a few spaces still available! Cheers! Kathleen NEW! Mailing Address Dolphin Communication Project P.O. Box 7485 Port St. Lucie, FL 34985 USA In this issue Our New Look | Report from RIMS | Holiday Specials | Off-season in Bimini | 2015 Field Course | Juliet 2015 | Name-AD o l p h i n | A c t i v i t y Ti m e Thank you Volunteers & Interns!! DCP thanks Nicole Danaher-Garcia for your help this fall & to those supporters who joined our RIMS trip. Without your assistance, DCP’s data analysis and collection could not run so smoothly. Well done and thank you! 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 [email protected]. A whole new look... www.DolphinCommunicationProject.org is New & Improved! It’s nearly time to say goodbye to 2014. And now, it is time to say the same to our website’s old look and “heeeellllllo!” to our new and improved website. The new www.dolphincommunicationproject.org is not only sleek and modern in looks, it has improved functionality and new content. With our new website - our second major revision since DCP’s incorporation 15 years ago comes a new, streamlined mission: “To promote the scientific study of dolphins and inspire their conservation.” We’ve been working hard these past few months to update our site. It’s shiny and new with a fresh, clean look, but also some much needed under-the-hood updates. The site will now look awesome on any device - computer, tablet or smartphone. We’ve streamlined our menu and content to make it easier to find the dolphin information you’re after. We’ve also added extra information about all of the amazing people who collaborate with DCP - from our core group of researchers, through to our volunteers and interns, as well as outside researchers, research organization and universities. Now everybody we work with has a little bit of real estate on our website - which allows us to show off DCP’s global reach. We’ve made it easier to listen to past episodes of The Dolphin Pod, and to browse through our Dolphin FAQs and Science Factoids. You can now follow along with our Field Reports and the DCP blog via a single RSS feed. Our Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin pages have received a bit of a face lift, and we’ve updated all of the information on our dolphins to reflect what we’ve learned after observing them around Bimini this past summer. And finally, we’ve updated our Membership page and are really hoping to welcome scores of new DCP Members over the next few weeks. For a small research organization, we’re certainly punching above our weight as far as websites go. What are you waiting for? Go check it out! 2 RIMS: A soggy report from Roatan Submitted by Kathleen Dudzinski, PhD With four DCP supporters (Jeanne, Lance, Ron and Bill), I spent the last week of October at Anthony’s Key Resort on Roatan to continue our long-term studies of the bottlenose dolphins that reside near Bailey’s Key. You might catch a glimpse of the dark, ominous sky in the background of the photo of Lance, Jeanne and Maury to the right! This photo was snapped just before a hard downpour!! In fact, our week of study was characterized by rain ... and lots of it. I feel comfortable saying that in the 12 years during which I’ve been studying the dolphins at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS), this year presented the wettest week yet! It rained every night and everyday. We did see the sun a few times. But, I’m not writing a weather report, rather DCP supporters get up close & personal with a DCP research subject! I am sharing with you an update about our data collected at RIMS last month. Despite the soggy days, we collected about 3 hours of video data with the MVA. Again this year, I attached a GoPro to the top of the MVA to provide a wider angle than the MVA for confirming dolphin IDs! The GoPro footage will be very helpful when logging this year’s footage because the dolphins were routinely very close to me. They were very inquisitive! I was also able to record a few training sessions with Teri: with me filming the underwater view, Teri worked with Hector and Han a couple of times on “tandem create.” In short, the dolphins are asked to do something new to their training session and to do the behavior together! The idea behind this training routine is to be able to understand a bit about the innovative abilities of dolphins. In addition to the MVA data, we deployed the SM2M (Song Meter SM2M Marine from Wildlife Acoustics) again for about 5 days of recording passive acoustics. Our protocol had the SM2M recording 10 minutes of every hour from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning, when I recovered the unit. In total, we recorded about 240 minutes of audio data each day for 5 days, which yielded about 20 hours of data that we will analyze this winter. We are about half way through examining the data collected last year with the same protocol and gear with the data suggesting that these dolphins do have set periods of time on the 24 hr clock during which they are more vocal. But, I’ll save more details on the analyses for the next issue of the Gazette! Overall, the trip was a sucess! We came home with audio and video data, experienced a different weather pattern and got to learn a bit more about dolphin creativity! Check out the website for the RIMS Eco-tour page to see details already scheduled for our 2015 return visit to Roatan and Anthony’s Kathleen’s view after finishing a morning observation session!! Key Resort! Cheers, Kathleen 3 Join #TeamDolphin this holiday season! Our holiday shopping options do good! It’s time to put a little more dolphin in your life by purchasing a dolphin-themed gift that will also help support dolphin science and conservation. The Dolphin Communication Project is in the holiday spirit, and we’ve designed a stellar lineup of unique dolphin-themed gifts. 100% of the proceeds will go towards funding our non-profit research and education efforts. #TeamDolphin Shirts Check out our official #TeamDolphin t-shirt. We’ve launched a holiday t-shirt fundraising campaign featuring a trendy version of DCP’s dolphin logo, together with our official #TeamDolphin hashtag. Order by 8 December at https://www.bonfirefunds.com/dcps-dolphin-science-fund. Black Friday through Cyber Monday: Adopt a dolphin (see page 9) or Donate $25 or more and receive a link to view our brand new Adopt-A-Dolphin slideshow AND two 5x7 prints of Bimini dolphins, FREE! 2 December through New Year’s Day: Adopt a dolphin (see page 9) or Donate $25 or more and receive a link to our brand new Adopt-A-Dolphin slideshow FREE! Limited Time Holiday Bundle: All season long, choose a Book & Adoption Kit Bundle for just $45.** Our Adopt-A-Dolphin slideshow becomes a beautiful, 8x6 soft-cover photobook delivered to your door. Adoption kits include a personalized certificate, dolphin biography, photos, a DVD and more. Choose from: Freckles, Prince William, Noodle, Split Jaw and Leslie. Visit DCP’s website to order your Book & Adoption Kit Bundle today! Something special, all year long: Our Adopt-A-Dolphin 8x6 soft-cover photobook will be available all year round.** For $30, you can admire the Bimini Adopt-A-Dolphins all year round! Plus, any adoption renewals, repeat donations or membership renewals received throughout the year will receive a link to our Adopt-A-Dolphin slideshow, FREE! **Because everyone needs a little fine print: Book & Adoption Kit Bundle price ($45) and Adopt-A-Dolphin photobook price ($30) include standard shipping within the US. Expedited and international shipping are extra. And, of course, photobook deals are subject to availability. Freckles Noodle Split Jaw 4 Prince Wiliam Leslie �Tis the off-season in Bimini Submitted by Kelly Melillo Sweeting During the summer, when we’re bouncing between boat trips, field reports and data collection/analysis, it always seems like there will be more hours in the day come fall. Yet, here I am, once again, wondering how we’ll stay on top of our Bimini data! Along with our colleague, Dr. Deirdre Yeater, Kathleen and I have submitted a short manuscript for publication and have a full paper in the works. Volunteer-extra-ordinaire Nicole and I have been attacking the backlog of still photos. We’re thrilled to have just added ID#105 (pictured here) to our Atlantic spotted dolphin photo-ID catalog the other day! Next up, I’ll be reviewing our 2014 video for clips that are just right for our annual update of the Adopt-A-Dolphin DVD and logging all video for individual dolphins in view. Soon, it will be time to accept applications for the 2015 summer internship positions (stay tuned!) and prepare for the 2015 research season. As usual, the season will kick off with a field course with University of New Brunswick Saint John. If you are interested in literally getting your feet wet with DCP in Bimini, apply to our field course with Sacred Heart University - field dates 26 May - 7 June. Hurry, applications are due 15 December! Soon it will be time to post the first Bimini field report to the new DCP website. Woo-who! Cheers, ~Kel 5 Juliet 2015 Come a-SCUBA-diving! Join our “SCUBA sail” aboard the Juliet in 2015! Several long-time DCP supporters like the idea of a return to a boat-based eco-tour that might also offer SCUBA diving. So, we connected with Kat - one of DCP’s first field interns, now a SCUBA instructor and boat captain - to see to see if we could find a way to do such a trip. So, from 15-21 August 2015, a lucky 12 individuals will board the M/V Juliet in Miami, FL; clear customs in Bimini, The Bahamas; and then sail south toward Orange Cay, SCUBA diving along the way! DCP will of course document any dolphins that might be hanging out near Orange Cay, the site of our 2006 exploratory photo-ID survey. There are 12 bunks aboard the Juliet - 4 are in private (their own heads*) double cabins and 8 are in double cabins with a shared head. And, as of 24 November 2014, there are ONLY 4 spaces left!! Contact DCP ([email protected]) to join our team and volunteers to SCUBA dive (or snorkel) and enjoy a warm August week of sailing! A shared head cabin is $1,860/ person; a private cabin is $2,060/ person. We look forward to sharing the week aboard the Juliet with you!! * head = bathroom on a boat Did you know... Did you know that scientists recently discovered that dolphins are sensitive to magnetic fields? It was long suspected that dolphins were able to detect magnets using the trace amounts of a substance called “magnetite” in their heads. But a recent study confirmed that dolphins are not only able to sense a magnetic field, but are seemingly attracted to magnets! Here’s a link to the article (Kremers et al. 2014): http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-014-1231-x 6 A New DCP Collaborator - Azura by Amy Whit, CEO, Azura Azura Consulting LLC is a new woman-owned small business working to empower people and organizations to meet their goals while also conserving natural resources and minimizing impacts to the environment. Azura also aims to foster environmental stewardship and an excitement for science within our communities. Azura CEO Amy Whitt, M.E.M. founded the company in September 2014, to provide environmental consulting, educational outreach, and editing services. Amy has over 11 years of professional experience in marine mammal research and environmental management. Prior to founding Azura, Amy served as the Marine Science Program Manager and Scientific Diving Program Manager for VersarGMI. She has conducted marine studies across the globe for a variety of clients including federal and state agencies, the oil and gas industry, and the offshore renewable energy industry. Amy’s passion for conservation and outreach and dedication to helping others find solutions to their problems motivated her to develop Azura and bring together a diverse team of expert scientists, writers, and informal educators to contribute this unique blend of services. Azura also fosters solid partnerships with other small businesses, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. By harnessing the expertise of a network of specialists, Azura provides the best possible team for each specific project. Azura and DCP have formed a strong partnership and will be collaborating on future marine mammal studies and outreach and education opportunities. DCP’s Director Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski and Amy have a long history of working together in the environmental consulting industry. Also an Associate Scientist with Azura, Kathleen will work with Amy and the rest of the Azura team to promote marine acoustics services focused on marine species research and the implementation of acoustic monitoring/mitigation plans to minimize impacts of anthropogenic sounds on the marine environment. As partners, Azura and DCP will also seek out opportunities to enhance and expand educational outreach programs to promote marine conservation in our communities. Visit Amy/Azura’s collaborator page on the DCP web site or check out Amy’s web site (www.azuraco.com) 7 Name-A-Dolphin: #70 Here’s your chance to name a wild dolphin! DCP ID#070 is an adult female. She was first recorded by DCP researchers off Bimini, The Bahamas in 2002. At this time, #70 was already a young adult and appeared to have a calf in tow. Although she has not been seen every single year since, she is seen very regularly and almost always has a youngster with her. Her most recent calf was a little girl, but with no permanent markings, this little one has not been entered into DCP’s ID catalog. Having acquired only mild scarring over the years herself, researchers rely on clear views of #70’s well-spotted body in order to confirm her presence in the group. She is typically in groups of sub-adults and Head here to name ID#70: adults; most recently she was hanging with Lil’ Jess http://www.dolphincommunicationproject.org/index. php/shop/name-a-dolphin/name-070 (#35). Who will she be with next? As the supporter who names ID#70 you will receive her first ever adoption kit: You can name ID#70 by visiting DCP’s name-a-wild-dolphin page at http://www.dolphincommunicationproject. org/index.php/shop/name-a-dolphin/name070 --> An official naming certificate --> Photograph of ID#70 --> Details on how to download dolphin vocalizations from the Bimini adopt-a-dolphins as a ringtone or audio file --> DVD containing video of the Bimini dolphins This dolphin can only receive one name. Let it be your pick!! --> Biography of ID#70 --> Welcome letter and registration info --> Information Booklet with Atlantic spotted dolphin fact sheet and info about DCP --> Dolphin trading card sample Plus: --> Special ID#70 t-shirt --> Dolphins: The Lighter Side (DVD) --> Signed copy of Dolphin Mysteries or Are Dolphins Really Smart The cost of this rare opportunity is $750. 8 Adopt a Wild Dolphin www.adoptawilddolphin.com 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 Publication and dissemination of DCP’s research results to the scientific community and the general public Tootie An official adoption certificate dolphin communication project Maintenance of the DCP website, field reports, and our podcast The Dolphin Pod Photograph of your adopted dolphin Details on how to download dolphin vocalizations from the Bimini adopt-adolphins as a ringtone or audio file Classroom education programs for school-aged children including DCP Youth Program, Dolphin Research Trainee, Classroom Connections DVD containing video of the Bimini dolphins DeeBee Biography of your adopted dolphin Volunteer, ecotour and internship opportunities for the public dolphin communication project Welcome letter and registration info Information Booklet with Atlantic spotted dolphin fact sheet and info about the Dolphin Communication Project Check page 8 for our current Name-A-Dolphin opportunity! Dolphin trading card sample Holiday gift ideas www.cafepress.com/holidaydolphin Adopt-a-wild-dolphin t-shirts tinyurl.com/ylfx44v 9 DCP Announcements! Calling New Members! The Dolphin Communication Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on support from the public to conduct our scientific research and offer education opportunities to people of all ages. Your generosity is the lifeblood of our organization, and we could not operate without the public funds we receive through memberships, donations, and our Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin program. Every scientific article we’ve published and every student mentorship opportunity we’ve provided has been made possible by financial support from people just like you. You can become a member of the Dolphin Communication Project by making a one-time donation or becoming a Sustaining Member via a monthly contribution. All members will receive a Welcome Pack which includes a welcome letter and an online subscription to our newsletter, The Dolphin Gazette. Show your support by becoming a member today! http://www.dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php/shop/membership-program Sustaining Memberships: Annual Memberships: Donate from $5 to $100/month and receive DCP trading cards, a notepad or water bottle! Student: $20 Individual: $30 Family: $45 Supporting: $75 Contributing: $150 Patron: $500 Supporting, Contributing & Patron Members receive a DVD copy of Dolphins - The Lighter Side. Contributing & Patron Members also receive a photo album featuring images and information about all of our adopt-a-wild-dolphins. Did you decifer the codes? ... puzzle answers from the last Dolphin Gazette! 1. Letters in the Alphabet 12. Dollars for Passing Go in 22. Days in February in a Leap Year 2. Wonders of the World Monopoly 23. Squares on a Chessboard 3. Arabian Nights 13. Sides on a Stop Sign 24. Inches in a Foot 4. Signs of the Zodiac 14. Blind Mice (See How They Run) 25. Days in a Week 5. Cards in a deck (with Jokers) 15. Quarts in a Gallon 26. Outs in an Inning 6. Planets in Solar System 16. Hours in a Day 27. Ways to Leave your Lover 7. Piano Keys 17. Horn on a Unicorn 8. Stripes on the American Flag 18. Digits in a Zip Code Dolphin Puzzlers: 9. Degrees Fahrenheit at which 19. Heinz Variety 88 Teeth in a Bottlenose Dolphin Skull Water Freezes 20. Players on a Football Team 2 B V T for D 10. Holes on a golf course 21. Words that Picture is Worth 33 Species of Oceanic Dolphins 11. Degrees in a Right Angle (Typo - D = P. Sorry!) 10 6 Species of Porpoise 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 email address, or subscribe online at the newsletter page!. All dolphin help support adoptions our through dolphin DCP 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!. Yes! I want to Some of our dolphins are listed below. For a complete list & all dolphin biographies, check out www.adoptawilddolphin.com 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 06372-0711. Credit card payment is available online through our web site at www.dolphincommunicationproject.org Please SEND my adoption package to: If this is a gift, please note gift GIVER address: Name: ____________________________ Address: __________________________ __________________________________ _________________________________ City: ____________ State: ____ Zip: ____ Email:_____________________________ Name: ____________________________ Address: ___________________________ _ _________________________________ ___________________________________ City: ___________ State: ____ Zip: _____ Email:_____________________________ Postcards $1.00 each/ 3 for $2 Iruka Gear To purchase Iruka gear visit www.cafepress/irukagear Membership Sustaining Memberships: Donate from $5 to $100/month and receive DCP trading cards, a notepad or water bottle! Annual Memberships : Notecards $2.50 each/ 3 for $6 DCP Gear To purhcase DCP gear, visit www.cafepress/dcpgear Student: $20 Individual: $30 Family: $45 Supporting: $75 Contributing: $150 Patron: $500 Supporting, Contributing & Patron Members receive a DVD copy of Dolphins - The Lighter Side. Contributing & Patron Members also receive a photo album featuring images and information about all of our adopt-awild-dolphins. All members receive a Welcome Packet. All gifts subject to availability and may change. Visit www.dolphincommunicationproject.org to become a member today! 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: www. dolphincommunicationproject.org All profits from the sale of these products will directly fund DCP’s research and education efforts. DCP is a nonprofit organization. 11 Coloring Time! Here’s a fun coloring page for your next snow day or anytime you need some indoor fun! 12
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