Does the number of individuals present in the water affect dolphin activity levels

Authors

Erika Aguirre, St. Mary's University
Xavier Castillo, St. Mary's University
Quinn Gallagher, St. Mary's University

Files

Digital Publisher

Digital Commons at St. Mary's University

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Contributor

Hill, Heather (Faculty Mentor)

Keywords

Bottlenose Dolphins, Animal Social Interactions, Animal Behavior, Animal-Human Interactions

Description

Bottlenose dolphin behavior and complex social structures have interested humans over the years. Dolphin deviation in these behaviors has been measured many ways such as activity levels, space used, and time of day. A study was focused on dolphin interactions with humans, patterns of lagoon space utilization, and temporal factors. Data have been collected at the Roatán Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS), which houses a diverse sample of 16-18 dolphins. No correlation was observed between increased human presence and levels of dolphin activity. Dolphins did display higher preferences for specific lagoon areas. This variability in lagoon space utilization suggests an awareness of their surroundings and shows enhanced well-being. Despite this variability in lagoon space utilization, temporal factors did not exhibit a significant correlation with dolphin activity levels. The observed variability shows the enhanced significance of human interaction, lagoon space utilization, and temporal factors in shaping their behavior. This research contributes to our broader comprehension of these marine mammals and their interaction with their surroundings.

Format

pdf

Size

1 page

City

San Antonio, Texas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.