Crunch! Understanding Eagle Ray Diets For the first time, a team of researchers has demonstrated that passive acoustic recorders can be used to help identify the prey that whitespotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari) eat, based merely on the crunching sounds the rays make when they crush a mollusk shell. From
Uncovering Spotted Eagle Ray Migrations Along Florida’s Coastlines A new study is providing insights into the mysterious migrations of whitespotted eagle rays — uncovering interesting differences in the movements of rays along Florida’s east and west coasts and providing important information for species conservation. The whitespotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari)
Evaluating the costs and benefits of intervening when dolphins face life threatening entanglements Some of the most popular stories we tell are about the successful rescues we’ve undertaken to save wild dolphins with life-threatening injuries from entanglement in fishing gear or other types of debris. Social media posts about these
On July 29, 2019, members of the public alerted emergency responders about the stranding of five short-finned pilot whales on Redington Beach, Florida. Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s rescue team led the response, heading to the site along with wildlife agencies and local authorities, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida’s
On March 1, 2016, we received a report of a dolphin that was entangled in a crab trap line off Nokomis Beach. We went to the dolphin’s last reported location from the night before, and found 10-year-old resident dolphin “Bill” with just his blowhole above the water. His tail was wrapped in the float
One of our Sarasota residents, Lizzie, had an eventful 2013. She was given a temporary satellite-linked tag during our health assessments in May, and she and her 3-year-old calf were regularly followed to compare their behavior with and without the tag. During one of these follows, SDRP staff noticed that Lizzie had become entangled with
In December 2008, Ginger, a recently independent juvenile female dolphin, stranded on Siesta Key Beach. SDRP staff was among the first responders, stabilizing her before she was taken to Mote Marine Laboratory and treated for complications from the stranding. Ginger was a dolphin already known by SDRP, and at the time of her stranding
In February 2010, SDRP staff members spotted a young dolphin “wearing” plastic. We hoped that she would shed the material but it soon became apparent that would not happen. After receiving permission from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which oversees the protection of wild marine mammals, our team attempted to capture the animal to
Scrappy, born in 1998, is the calf of Scooby-Doo (who was given her nickname before we knew she was a she). He has been sighted hundreds of times since birth, but we remember him most for one of our 2006 sightings when we found him entangled in marine debris — a piece of fabric
Dolphin FB54 Stats Name: FB54 Sex: Female Born: 1971Presumed Dead: 2023 A Dolphin's Life FB54 was born in 1971. She has not been observed since November 2023 and is presumed dead. Until her death, she was the oldest-known Sarasota resident dolphin. FB54 was observed
