Dolphin Data 



Bottlenose dolphins have long 

 fascinated human beings with their 

 playful behavior. 



The coastal bottlenose 

 dolphin, or Tursiops inmccttus, is 

 found worldwide in tropical to 

 cold-temperate waters. It is 

 primarily found in the Gulf of 

 Mexico, year-round south of Cape 

 Hatteras and further north in the 

 summer, including Outer Banks 

 sounds. 



Other special characteristics 

 of the coastal bottlenose dolphin 

 compiled from Rhode Island Sea 

 Grant's Guide to Marine Mammals 

 and Turtles of the U.S. Atlantic and 

 Gulf of Mexico are: 



Size: Adult sizes vary 

 considerably, from 6 to 1 2 feet. At 

 birth approximately 3 feet. 



Body: Robust body and 

 head. Short, thick well-defined 

 beak. Rippers pointed, flukes 

 deeply notched 



Color: Highly variable: 

 blue-gray to brown with lighter 

 sides and belly. Some have spots, 

 pale shoulder blaze, or cap 



Dorsal Fin: Tall, falcate, 

 with broad base; located mid-back. 



Beliauior: Acrobatic: 

 breach, spyhop, lobtail. 



Habitat: Shallow, warm, 

 inshore waters of bays and rivers. 



Diet: Variety offish and 

 invertebrates. 



Life History: Females 

 sexually mature at 5 to 10 years, 

 males at 8 to 12 years. Breed in 

 spring and fall. 



The Sea Grant guides are 

 available for $25. To order, 

 call 401/874-6842 or fax: 

 401/874-6817. — A.G. 



Some dolphins haue distinctive dorsal fins recognizable by shape, color or permanent 



notches and nicks. 



Dolphin Stranding 



Interest in dolphins increased in the 

 late 1 980s after more than 740 bottlenose 

 dolphins that died from a morbillivirus — 

 which is similar to canine distemper in 

 dogs and weakens the dolphin's immune 

 system — were stranded on Atlantic 

 beaches. The 1987 stranding became a 

 catalyst for gathering data about the 

 species. Scientists realized that very little 

 was known about the population size and 

 migration patterns of this species in the 

 western Atlantic. 



Because of the insufficient data on 

 bottlenose dolphins and lack of funding for 

 population studies, independent researchers 

 on the East Coast, including Mallon-Day, 

 joined forces in 1993 to form the Atlantic 

 Dolphin Research Cooperative. 



However, no group was collecting data 

 on the large number of bottlenose dolphins 

 passing through the Outer Banks waters. 



Mallon-Day and his wife, Kate, filled 

 an important niche in 1997 by forming the 

 Nags Head Dolphin Watch, which supports 

 research by collecting photos of individual 

 dolphins. Some dolphins have distinctive 

 dorsal fins recognizable by shape, color or 

 permanent notches and nicks. 



The tours teach people about dolphins 

 while conducting the studies, says Mallon- 

 Day. "The research is paid for by people on 

 the tours." 



The Mallon-Days' collaboration with 

 researchers at the N.C. Maritime Museum, 

 Virginia Marine Science Museum, the Duke 

 University Marine Lab and the University of 

 North Carolina at Wilmington contributes to a 

 computerized dolphin catalogue, maintained 

 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration's Beaufort laboratory. 



Since 1997, the Mallon-Days have 

 catalogued about 300 dolphins that have 

 been given nicknames such as "Fatlip," 

 "White Dot," "Cruella" and "Onion." 



"Onion is the most famous," says 

 Mallon-Day. "He was the first dolphin 

 identified in both his summer (Nags Head) and 

 winter (Beaufort) residence. He is easy to 

 identify because of a propeller-mangled fin." 



Through research efforts, the Mallon- 

 Days and scientists are trying to get a more 

 accurate count of bottlenose dolphins on the 

 East Coast. 



"Some research shows that over one- 

 half of dolphins died off in 1 987," says 

 Mallon-Day. "We think the study is 

 inaccurate." 



This summer, additional dolphin 

 research, led by Bill Foster of Hatteras, will be 

 funded by the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant 

 program. 



Some dolphin watchers discover a new 

 dolphin. Others just marvel at the pink on a 

 dolphin's belly, Wescott says. 



"It is like a blush on the face of a well 

 child," says Wescott. □ 



HIGH SEASON 2000 



