This year (2023) we’ve been getting a lot of questions about a tagged dolphin that people have been seeing frequently around Siesta Key. Meet dolphin F326, also known as Squirt!
He is a young male dolphin born in 2019. We first observed him in November 2022 as an independent juvenile and, during a health assessment in May 2023, we discovered a large healed shark bite wound on the underside of his body. During an ultrasound, we found that the wound actually rearranged his urinary tract. Our veterinarians were concerned about his health, so we attached a satellite-linked transmitter to his dorsal fin and also gave him a freeze-brand.
The brand, which is made by touching a super-cooled metal number to the dorsal fin, will act as a medical ID bracelet and allow us to continue to monitor him into the future, even after the tag detaches as designed.
Since first observing him, we’ve seen him 14 times and have had numerous reports from the public in boats and on land of their sightings of Squirt.
