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 Age: Born 1971 A Dolphin's Life FB54 was born in 1971, and is currently the oldest-known Sarasota resident dolphin. She has been observed more than 1,500 times since we first met her in August 1975 — the
When we began thinking about ways to celebrate our milestone 50th year, our initial plans called for an in-person symposium focused on our dolphin research and the achievements that we, along with our research partners and colleagues, have made over the past five decades. Though we still hope to make that happen in 2021, when
X-ray images (radiographs) of human hands have been used for decades as a method of confirming age by examining the predictable chronological changes occurring to the growth plates of each bone. We wanted to know if using X-rays of dolphin flippers could provide the same information. The goal is to establish a non-invasive method of determining
We're working to create a Bottlenose Epigenetic Aging Tool (BEAT) that will allow us to use small skin samples to determine the age of dolphins. First, what is epigenetics? These are various modifications and molecules that occur on or interact with DNA to influence gene activity and phenotype without changing the DNA sequence. Epigenetic changes
Dolphin FB07 Stats Name: FB07, also known as Lightning Sex: Female Age: Born 1984 A Dolphin's Life Lightning got her nickname thanks to a bolt-shaped mark that she had on her dorsal fin when she was young. She's the daughter of Mama Mia (FB84). We've
Dolphin F271 Stats Name: F271, also known as Babe Sex: Female Age: Born 1994 A Dolphin's Life Babe was the first calf born to dolphin FB99 and she's been observed more than 300 times since we first sighted her on July 14, 1994. We
Dolphin FB55 Stats Name: FB55 Sex: Female Age: Born 1986 A Dolphin's Life Dolphin FB55 is part of a life-long and well-known female lineage in Sarasota Bay. She is the third calf of a dolphin known as FB05 (first identified in 1971, the year
Dolphin F256 Stats Name: F256, also known as Jo Bob Sex: Male Age: Born 2007 A Dolphin's Life We know this dolphin’s lineage back through five generations — he is the second calf of Little Orphan’s Annie, grandcalf of Bobby Jo, great-grandcalf of FB37
The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is “to inspire conservation leadership by engaging people and communities with wildlife and nature.”
