Wild Dolphin of the Month
For our Dolphin of the Month in February, we are featuring BEAR, the 48th dolphin we added to our photo-ID catalog. BEAR is presumed to be a female, as we have seen her interacting closely with calves, and she was named for the outline of the top of her dorsal fin (which resembles a bear). She has been sighted five times between oceanside and bayside at the northern end of our survey area in Key Largo
January 2021 – Field Notes
We had an exceptional month for Photo ID surveys in January. The team spent three full days on surveys, which got off to a slow start. During the first two surveys only a solitary animal and mom/calf pair were observed. However, on our third survey day the team had three sightings of multiple animals. The first sighting occurred on the Oceanside between Tavernier and Snake Creek. This was a large, widely dispersed group of 27 dolphins, including a few very curious calves. The dolphins were observed in 8 – 12 feet of water and dispersed over sand and sea grass beds where they were actively foraging. Our second and third sightings of the day occurred in Barnes Sound in north Key Largo, with a very cohesive group of 16 dolphins and then a smaller group of six animals were observed slow swimming inside of Jewfish Creek. Many of the dolphins observed throughout these three days were resights of previously identified animals, but we were able to add a few new faces (or fins) to our catalog.
We remind the Keys Boating Community to operate their vessel responsibly, wear polarized sunglasses and observe slow/no wake zones. Also, please report and marine animal in distress to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) wildlife hotline (1-888-404-FWCC).
