Dolphins

Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, director of the Dolphin Communication Project at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, and her team are researching how and why dolphins communicate with each other.

Dolphins are very social creatures and use clicks, whistles, squeaks, gestures and postures to send out messages to each other. Some dolphins even have their own signature whistle.

Most of the research that these scientists are conducting focuses on Atlantic spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins in the Bahamas, Roatan in Honduras and in Japan. The scientists spend hours a day in the water observing, videotaping and recording and detailing the locations and numbers of dolphins observed. After they collect all the data, they go back to their summer living quarters or to their offices and make notes and review video. It's a lot of work but they love what they do!
Words to Know:
Blowhole: The blowhole is located on the top of the head and opens and closes to allow the dolphin to breathe. The flap closes tightly to seal out water.
Dorsal Fin: The dorsal fin is located on the dolphin's back and may act as a keel to stabilize the dolphin as it swims.
Echolocation: Dolphins send sound out and it bounces off an object. They can tell how far away an object is by how long it takes for the echo to come back.
Pectoral Flipper: This is a forelimb and is used to steer and sometimes to touch other dolphins.
Pod: Dolphins live in groups or pods. They become attached to other members of their pod.