FEATURED STORY
Transitions
and Changes
After founding the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and directing it
for nearly six decades, Dr. Randy
Wells is passing the leadership
role to Deputy Director
Dr. Katie McHugh.
Human Activity Can Reshape Dolphin Social Lives
New Research Shows Human Activity Can Reshape Dolphin Social Lives Study of Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphins finds human-linked
Tagging Dolphins in the Galápagos
In April 2026, members of our team traveled to the Galápagos, a UNESCO World Heritage site. There, we (Aaron
Remembering Our Longest-Serving Volunteer
Remembering Ralph Arden On Feb. 6, 2026, we were saddened by the death of our friend and longest-serving
Fish Surveys Help Us Understand Dolphins
A team uses a seine net to capture fish in Sarasota Bay. The fish are released after they are
Crystal River Rescue
A Nighttime Rescue in Crystal River Capt. Justin Dymond of Florida Bowfishing Adventures in Crystal
Dolphin Community Update
Notes from the Lab and Field: 2025 Dolphin Community Update January 2026 Happy New Year! A new year
Atlantic Spotted Dolphins Tagged in September 2025
Notes from the Lab and Field In September, we were once again over the West Florida Shelf tagging
Disentangling Dolphins
Coming to the Aid of Dolphin Calves Near Clearwater Things got scary for two dolphin calves off Clearwater before
James “Buddy” Powell
Celebrating the Life of Dr. James "Buddy" Powell In 2025, the world has lost a conservation hero
Reducing Plastics and Phthalates in the Environment
Help Wild Dolphins and Other Marine Life by Reducing Plastics and Phthalates in Your Life More than
Remembering Buddy Powell
A Tribute to James A. “Buddy” Powell, Ph.D. We lost a wonderful friend and colleague,
Plastics in Rural and Urban Dolphins
Dolphins Living Near Urban Coastline Show More Frequent Exposure to Chemicals from Plastics than those in Rural Area
TADpoles and Dolphins
What do TADpoles have to do with dolphins? Development of a remote Tag Attachment Device
Dolphins and Diabetes
The Sarasota Bay Dolphin Diet May Provide Important Clues to Prevent Diabetes Just like people, some dolphins
Ftalatos y Delfines
¿Los cambios en los patrones climáticos expondrán a los delfines a más sustancias químicas? Un estudio en la
Puzzle — Backstroke
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzle — Gotcha!
Jigsaw Puzzle
Biennial Conference on Marine Mammals 2024
We participated in or led a dozen presentations during the 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
Two Offshore Dolphins Tagged
Dolphins Tagged Off the West Florida Shelf We were able to sneak in a day of offshore
Dolphins Rescued from Shallow Lagoon
Dolphins Rescued from Lagoon off Pine Island Two dolphins are back in
Microplastics Detected in Dolphin Breath
Every Breath They Take? New Study Suggests Dolphins are Inhaling Plastics A member of the
A Tangled Food Web
Paper Provides New Insights on How Microplastics are Moving From Prey to Predator A new research paper
GoMDIS: Investigating the Life of a Stranded Dolphin
Dolphin ID Catalog Uncovers Life History of Dolphin Recovered on North Florida Beach In July 2024, Gulf
Dolphin F312 Injured by Boat
Boat Collision Injures Sarasota Bay Dolphin In July 2024, members of the public reported a dolphin with
Offshore Research Update
June 2024 Offshore Dolphin Research Update Since 2022, we’ve been conducting health assessments of offshore dolphins to gather
Dolphin Play and Reproduction
Playful Young Male Dolphins in Western Australia Grow Up to Have More Offspring Photo by
Dolphin Rescue: Roy Kent
Fishing Line Cuts Like a Saw — Rescuing "Roy Kent" Starting in February 2024, we made numerous
Dolphin Rescue: 2615
2615 Rescued from Fishing Line Entanglement During our May 2024 dolphin health assessments, we conducted a disentanglement
Stow it! Don’t Throw It!
Creating Monofilament Collectors to Help Save Dolphins from Entanglement Did you know
Dolphin Conservation Takes a Team Effort
Dolphin conservation is a team effort — from working together to understand dolphins and their communities,
Puzzle — Whoops!
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzle — Get Off
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzle — Flying Fish
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzle — No Passing Zone
Jigsaw Puzzle
Plastic and Plastic Compounds in Dolphins
Studying the Impacts of Plastics and Plastic Compounds in Sarasota Bay Dolphins
Eye in the Sky
Using Aerial Drones for Dolphin Research SDRP has a long history of taking to the
Understanding Offshore Dolphin Behavior
High-resolution data-loggers reveal fine-scale movement and foraging behavior of offshore dolphins “Bill,” an Atlantic spotted dolphin, with a
What’s on the Menu?
Since 1970, we’ve been studying Sarasota Bay’s dolphin community — getting to know their lineages, their companions and even
Notes from the Lab and Field
This Atlantic spotted dolphin nicknamed Hannah was tagged 45 miles offshore of Sarasota using a new tool we developed.
Make Your Labor Day Boat Trip a Labor of Love
As we approach the Labor Day holiday this weekend, why not make it a labor of love for dolphins
Disentangling a Dolphin Near Cedar Key
Disentangling a Cedar Key Dolphin On Aug. 9, 2023, the SDRP partnered with University of Florida Marine Animal
Siesta Key’s “Squirt” the Dolphin
This year (2023) we’ve been getting a lot of questions about a tagged dolphin that people have been seeing
Feeling the Heat
Feeling the Heat During a Hot Summer People around the world are feeling extreme heat this summer and
Offshore Dolphin Health Assessment
On May 17-18, 2023, we tagged and collected biological samples from two bottlenose and two Atlantic spotted dolphins
Dolphin Moms Use ‘Baby Talk’
We’ve all probably done it: Change the pitch and tone of our voices when talking to babies. Now, new
Another Successful Rescue
A Successful Dolphin Rescue Near Marco Island Earlier this month, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received
Leading a Calf Rescue
Sarasota Dolphin Research Program Leads Effort to Rescue Dolphin Calf from Entangled and Embedded Fishing Gear
Intern Opportunity: Eugenie Clark Skills and Leadership
We're pleased to partner once again with Minorities in Shark Science (MISS) and Havenworth Coastal Conservation to offer the
Dolphin Personalities and Conservation
Evidence of consistent individual differences (IDs) in behavior, indicative of individual personalities (also referred as behavioral types or coping
Puzzle Fun — Let’s Play
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzle Fun — Dolphin Leaps
Jigsaw Puzzle
Dolphins and Microplastics
Study Finds Evidence that Dolphins are Ingesting Microplastics A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine
Your Support on Giving Tuesday Makes This Possible
Your Support on Giving Tuesday Makes This Possible As people who regularly follow our research and progress know,
Tracking Offshore Dolphins During Hurricane Ian
We’ve got some exciting news to share about our ongoing efforts to conduct health assessments of offshore dolphins: In
Winter Internship with SDRP: Apply Now
Are you a college student studying marine biology, biology, ecology, zoology, wildlife, fisheries, or a related field and interested
Whistling Away in Sarasota Bay
To record dolphin sounds, we place non-invasive hydrophones mounted on suction cups on a dolphin’s melon (“forehead”) and record
Understanding Animal Residency
What is animal residency and how do we define and measure it? In marine mammal research, residency is often
Identifying Dolphins Throughout the Gulf of Mexico
The CZS-SDRP curates the Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Identification System (GoMDIS), which combines, standardizes, and serves as an online
Barbed! Stingray Spine Injuries
Did you know that stingrays are dolphin neighbors? They share share shallow seagrass habitat in Sarasota Bay where they
Fatty Acid Signatures
If they are what they eat, what are dolphins eating? Thanks to our long-term studies — including seasonal fish
Remembering Two Giants of Marine Mammal Science
SDRP Founder Blair Irvine (left) and Sam Ridgway, 1967. The marine mammal scientific community has
Assessing the Health of Offshore Dolphins
Learn About the First Health Assessment of an Offshore Dolphin in the Gulf of Mexico
Saving Dolphins from Ourselves
We Can All Protect Dolphins from Negative Human Interactions This spring, we saw several negative
DWH: 12 Years On
A Dozen Years After the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, We're Still Documenting Impacts to Dolphins April
Tracking “Dorothy”
What Happens When a Dolphin is Left Behind by a Hurricane? This map shows the
Dolphin Valentines to Share
We love dolphins and know you do too, so we created some printable dolphin cards to share with your
The Story of Misha and Echo
The image shows Misha just prior to being released back into Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1990. Photo by Flip
Learn Field Research Skills
The Eugenie Clark Field Research Skills and Leadership Program New College of Florida is offering paid training experiences in
An Intern’s Perspective
University of Miami student Cassidy Renninger was an SDRP intern during 2021. Here, in her words, was what her
An Intern’s Perspective
Duke University student India Haber was an SDRP intern during 2021. Here, in her words, was what her experience
A Risky Dolphin Rescue
A Risky Dolphin Rescue Near Clearwater Beach, Florida —Notes from the Field from SDRP Director Dr. Randy Wells
Apply Now: Summer Internship
Are you a college student studying marine biology, biology, ecology, zoology, wildlife, fisheries, or a related field and interested
Puzzles by Leaps and Bounds
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzle It Out!
Jigsaw Puzzle
2021 Baby Boom
The Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has documented 22 dolphin births in 2021 to the long-term resident bottlenose
When the Prey is Gone
When the Prey is Gone Gaining a fuller understanding of dolphins also means studying how they interact with
When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix
What Happens When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix? Prolonged exposure to freshwater is linked to adverse
Exploring Microbiomes
Exploring Microbiomes The science of understanding microbiomes has received increasing attention over the past few
Seagrass Matters
Seagrass Matters This summer (2021), we've continued our purse-seine catch-and-release fish surveys in Sarasota Bay.
Taking Lessons From Sarasota Abroad
This 2008 photo shows researchers preparing to release a tagged franciscana dolphin in Argentina. Dolphins were held for a
Dolphins & Hurricane Season
Dolphins & Hurricanes One question we’re frequently asked is what dolphins do during hurricanes. The
Piney Point Dolphin Entanglement
On April 7 and April 9, 2021, as our team was conducting photographic identification surveys in the area near
What is happening to the dolphins near Piney Point?
What is Happening to the Dolphins Near Piney Point? We're monitoring the dolphin community near Port Manatee for
Crunch! Understanding Eagle Ray Diets
Crunch! Understanding Eagle Ray Diets For the first time, a team of researchers has demonstrated
Uncovering Spotted Eagle Ray Migrations Along Florida’s Coastlines
Uncovering Spotted Eagle Ray Migrations Along Florida’s Coastlines A new study is providing insights into
Short-Finned Pilot Whale Tracking — 2019
On July 29, 2019, members of the public alerted emergency responders about the stranding of
Bill
On March 1, 2016, we received a report of a dolphin that was entangled in a crab trap line
Lizzie
One of our Sarasota residents, Lizzie, had an eventful 2013. She was given a temporary satellite-linked tag during our
Ginger
In December 2008, Ginger, a recently independent juvenile female dolphin, stranded on Siesta Key Beach. SDRP staff was among
Nellie
In February 2010, SDRP staff members spotted a young dolphin “wearing” plastic. We hoped that she would shed the
Scrappy
Scrappy, born in 1998, is the calf of Scooby-Doo (who was given her nickname before we knew she was
Using X-Rays to Estimate Dolphin Age
X-ray images (radiographs) of human hands have been used for decades as a method of confirming age by examining the predictable
The Bottlenose Epigenetic Aging Tool (BEAT)
We're working to create a Bottlenose Epigenetic Aging Tool (BEAT) that will allow us to use small skin samples to
Measuring Dolphin Hearing
Researchers test dolphins' hearing using using auditory evoked potentials, or AEPs. During testing, sensors are placed on an animal’s
Dolphins Have Names
Did you know that bottlenose dolphins develop individually distinctive signature whistles that they use to maintain group cohesion? Unlike
Listening to Sarasota Bay Dolphins
Dolphin F197 with her fourth calf, 1974. Several members of F197's family like to swim near the Cortez PAL
Be Dolphin Safe
You can prevent injuries to dolphins and other sea life simply by following these best practices: Don’t feed wild
Human Activities Claim Three Sarasota Dolphin Lives
Over just 2 weeks in August, we lost three Sarasota Bay resident dolphins. Our Director, Dr. Randy Wells penned
Join Our Marine Debris Team
One of the simplest ways to help wild dolphins — and all other marine life — is to make
New Births and Other Bay Updates
Work in the field and lab has continued for us this summer, albeit in a socially distant fashion as
