Some dolphins are party animals

May 2008. Some people are betting at mixing than others, and research shows that dolphins are just the same. Research into bottlenose dolphin behaviour in Cardigan Bay has confirmed that they too have individuals who are social brokers par excellence!  The research provides vital information to help guide the future management of the Bay, which has been designated a Special Area of Conservation in order to give added protection to the dolphins.

Edita Magileviciute, who is Sightings Officer for the Sea Watch Foundation, compared the interactions recorded by the organisation over five years between more than two hundred bottlenose dolphins living in Cardigan Bay in West Wales. On average a bottlenose dolphin has 20 others they associate frequently with during a year - although some can have many more while others have far fewer.

Party animal

She found that certain dolphins play a key role within their social groups and that one in particular seems to be a constant link between the different social groupings. This dolphin, known as Flint is amongst a number which researchers in the Bay can recognize from its markings recorded as part of an intensive photo ID project which has been running for six years

Edita, who will be also be heading up this year's National Whale and Dolphin Watch in June, explained: "Dolphin social groups are a little like human social grouping - fission-fusion. They tend to come together for a while and then they disperse and new groupings occurs. Some individuals seem to prefer to be in small groups, while others are more gregarious and can usually be found in large groups.

"Key individuals play important parts within the groupings, possibly in passing on information, be it behavioural, feeding or about habitats. We know from studies in New Zealand that when such key individuals disappear, connectivity between groups also goes. These key individuals can be male or females, but there is one male in Cardigan Bay, Flint, who has appeared time and time again in the data records since 2003 and seems to be the glue between all the groupings.

"Understanding these linkages could be vital if we are to understand how disease or the impact of pollutions might spread between the different groupings."

Moray Firth dolphins

Her work backs up findings of similar studies in the Moray Firth - home to the UK's only other resident population of bottlenose dolphins - and studies of dolphins in New Zealand.

Edita said: "There is still a great deal that we do not know about bottlenose dolphin society in the UK. For instance, in Australia it has been observed that  groups of male dolphins will encourage one another from the same group to mate with female dolphins - a little like the "my mate really likes your mate," sort of line in a pub , but that they will fiercely compete with males from other groups. We have yet to discover whether the UK dolphins follow the same behaviour."

Research funding cut

Like many environmental organisations, the Sea Watch Foundation has seen a cut in available funding for conservation research. Research director Peter Evans said: "Continued research into the Cardigan Bay bottlenose dolphins will help protect them. At the moment we know very little about the genetic relationships between individuals and groups, and we know little about their behaviour during winter months. Research is generally restricted to summer observations from land and boats, although the limited number of aerial surveys we have been able to do has revealed very interesting seasonal changes in their dispersion patterns." 

National Whale and Dolphin Watch

National Whale and Dolphin Watch is being held from June 21 - June 29 with watches being planned all across the British Isles. Anyone can take part and the results help inform scientific knowledge and conservation action for the whales and dolphins that live off the UK coasts. Visit http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/ for more information. Sea Watch also runs http://www.adoptadolphin.org.uk/ based on the Cardigan Bay dolphins. All money raised by adopters helps fund further research in the UK.

http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/