Why dolphins?

 I don’t know of many people who aren’t excited by an encounter with wild dolphins. Whether I am seeing my first one for a year, or the hundredth for that day, the joy is always there. Even though I’m a “scientist” I still get emotional. 

Some animals are just really charismatic - horses, dolphins, big cats, birds of prey. Those of us who spend time staring out to sea with binoculars and a camera are invariably asked what we’re looking at. If it’s dolphins, everyone wants to know where exactly to look. Even the possibility of a sighting generates excitement.

Synchronised jumping  © Devon Sea Safari

Dolphins are intensely mutualistic - meaning they must work together or they won’t make it. They have societies and cultures.  In some dolphin groups, certain individuals have different roles in catching prey. They all have to rely on each other to do their bit, so even if you aren’t the one closest to the food, then you know you’ll get some anyway. Some killer whales (the largest of the dolphins) have a food sharing culture, and they’ve also been observed actively teaching their young how to hunt. Each is an important part of the whole, equal but different. 

Sometimes though, belonging to the group is expressed through synchrony. This essential group connection has many physical benefits, but also shows bonds and shared identity. Dolphins moving together is one of the most beautiful sights on the planet.

Juvenile and adult dolphins zooming in perfect synchrony       © Devon Sea Safari 

There are eight white-beaked dolphins in the photo below; 4 mothers and 4 juveniles, who are so highly synchronised with their mothers that they are barely visible under their bellies. The adults are also synchronised with each other, each trusting that those in the other positions will maintain vigilance.

White-beaked dolphins in Iceland  © Maria Galou

How common dolphins maintain social bonds, through synchrony and other means, is one of the long term questions we hope to address. We don’t know what we will find out about our common dolphins, and while it is important to have a clear focus for our research, it is even more important to approach this project with an open mind. I’m keen to hear what other people think of dolphin behaviour, and welcome all ideas and reports. Who knows what we might find? I suspect there will be surprises, and that each question will explode into even more questions.

Let’s get going!