Dolphins are renowned as intelligent species and along with having a good network of friends which are diverse and complex. Their social lives have always intrigued scientists therefore they have explored in it to find out the way the dolphins interact and who they spend time with.
The bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon have been examined and the way they interact with each other has been investigated by scientists from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University. The experiment had been performed by conducting surveys of intensive photo-IDs for more than 6 and half years. This helped researchers to observe the patterns of interaction, motion behavior and habitat choices of almost 200 different dolphins.
The research discovered that the dolphins actually have very similar attributes in comparison to humans when it comes to willingness to interact or choose to avoid a specific group of species. Additionally, the scientists found there were some dolphins that actually formed their own circle of associated animals and chose the major subtle locations along the north-south axis of the lagoon.
Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb, research biologist at HBOI explained that, “One of the more unique aspects of our study was the discovery that the physical dimensions of the habitat, the long, narrow lagoon system itself, influenced the spatial and temporal dynamics of dolphin association patterns. For example, communities that occupy the narrowest stretches of the Indian River Lagoon have the most compact social networks, similar to humans who live in small towns and have fewer people with whom to interact.” Along with Titcomb, the research team included Greg O’Corry-Crowe, Ph.D., associate research professor at HBOI; Marilyn Mazzoil, senior research associate at HBOI, and Elizabeth Hartel.
The information gathered from this research may also help in other aspects of studying the life of dolphins. Apart from finding the societal attributes of dolphins this information of this study can also contribute valuable information about dolphins and their self-organization, choice of associated creatures and the time and place where these interactions takes place. There is possibility of providing an insight in the perception of dolphins along with the usage of their surroundings as well as how social factors influence communication management, potential breeding approach and transmission of diseases.
Jorge Santana