Shark Bay Dolphin Project

SBDP has accomplished so much in 2025! A big shoutout to our research team for making this possible. Excited for what’s to come in the new year ✨ #dolphins #marinebiology #sharkbay #marinemammals #monkeymia

Curious about the fascinating lives of Shark Bay dolphins? Join Dr. Vivienne Foroughirad of the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project for a fascinating look into dolphin behavior, tool use, and mother-calf relationships.

🗓️ Tomorrow 9 July at 6pm
📍 Monkey Mia DBCA Theaterette
🎟 Free & open to all!

Are you an undergrad interested in joining our dolphin research team this summer? We have an NSF opportunity open through Georgetown! Applications due Feb 15th! See our website for more details and contact information: https://monkeymiadolphins.org/join-us/
Apply at: https://www.nsfetap.org/award/135/opportunity/768

Join us next week (6/30) for an online research seminar from Dr. Janet Mann!

She'll be speaking about, "Diving beneath the surface: 3 decades of research on wild bottlenose dolphins"

On June 30 at 12pm EDT:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Be938fWJAm8

If you're in Barcelona for the World Marine Mammal Conference, make sure you check out these great talks from our Shark Bay researchers! Also check out a poster from our sister project, Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project!

Surprise
1979-2019
by Janet Mann, Dolphin Scientist

People often ask how Surprise got her name. In the 1980s, Surprise, a young juvenile dolphin, would suddenly show up at the bow of our (scientists’) boats for a bowride. She startled us so often that we named her Surprise. Surprise was a shallow-water specialist that spent most of her time in seagrass beds, catching an incredible array of fish, including spiny flathead. She wasn’t one of the ‘official’ Monkey Mia dolphins back then, but she often came to the beach with her female friend Holeyfin (Nicky’s mother), who she was very close to. In fact, Holeyfin repeatedly escorted Surprise in, often with her pectoral fin (flipper) resting on Surprise’s side. Nicky, was not very friendly with Surprise – even though they were close in age, and would often try to break them up – possibly because she was possessive of the Monkey Mia beach, of her mother, Holeyfin – or of both.

By 1990 the rangers (then Conservation and Land Management) decided to offer Surprise fish. I observed her first day and she was clearly excited but tentative – approaching the head ranger (Sharon Gosper) and then veering away. Nicky kept chasing her off and Holeyfin kept escorting Surprise back in. Eventually Surprise accepted fish and became a regular once she had her own calf in 1992. In 1994, Holeyfin’s calf Hobbit was killed by a tiger shark near Monkey Mia. It was Surprise who came to the Hobbit’s defense and made contact with the shark. Surprise also stayed with Holeyfin for a long time while Holeyfin guarded Hobbit’s lifeless form. Although Surprise lost her first calf, Shadow, she went on to have 5 surviving calves, Shock, Sparky, Burda, Shiver and Sonic. Surprise was a most impressive mother and is one of the most successful females, but she liked to spend time on her own, hunting in the seagrass beds north of Monkey Mia. The last few years of her life were hard, with a very serious shark bite, and the loss of her adult daughter Shock, who also came to Monkey Mia until last year. The scientists often described Surprise as the ‘sweetest’ dolphin – not very scientific, but she was always very gentle with other dolphins and with children at Monkey Mia. It won’t be the same without her.

(Photo by Madison Miketa, monkeymiadolphins.org)

Spring has sprung here in Shark Bay. Remote cameras set up by our Nature Conservation team photographed these emu chicks who look to be just out of the egg! There are lots of emu chicks of various ages around Denham and Monkey Mia so be sure to watch out for them crossing the roads with their dads.

A Monkey Mia Legend named Puck
Janet Mann
9-April-2019

I wouldn’t normally write a eulogy for a dolphin, but Puck, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin who has delighted millions of people over the last 42 years, deserves such exception. She was born in December of 1976, although the exact date is unknown. Her mother, Crooked Fin, was well known to fishers at Monkey Mia – as she was often quite willing to take a hand-out from their catch. As a young calf, Puck accompanied her mother everywhere and had little fear of humans. Her trust of them was evident once she was weaned at about age 4. Although uninterested in fish handouts at the time, she often swam alongside people – and dutifully chased northwest blowies away from unsuspecting swimmers.

When Crooked Fin died in 1992, Puck looked after Cookie, her young brother, who was orphaned at age 3. Cookie, just old enough to survive his mother’s death, was still quite vulnerable and Puck insured that he had family to fall back on until he reached adulthood. Puck lost 4 offspring in her long life, all soon after birth, but this is not unusual for a wild dolphin. She successfully raised two daughters (Piccolo and Kiya) and two sons (India and Samu) and has 6 grandchildren. Great-grandchildren are on the way. Her only brother, Cookie, is still alive and well at age 30, and occasionally checks in with his extended family.

Puck was also the subject of long-term study, and was one of the most important dolphins in our research. We knew her entire life history, every calf she had and every calf she lost. Although she visited Monkey Mia almost daily, she had an active social life away from the beach, and was a talented hunter who engaged in diverse hunting tactics ranging from partially beaching herself to catch fish (breame or mullet), to rooster-tailing (blasting full speed at the surface and diving down quickly), to coaxing fish from seagrass beds. She even tried to use a basket marine sponge as a tool once, a tactic typically restricted to those born to other sponge tool users. Puck only became interested in fish hand-outs once she started having offspring in her teens. She was nursing her own offspring and hungry – but she retained her hunting talents for life.

Her first surviving calf, Piccolo, visits Monkey Mia daily to this day and like her mother, has successfully produced 3 offspring. But catastrophe struck when she was a year old. Puck was hunting near a net and without fear of humans, she charged close to the net to pick off mullet that were not trapped in the other side. I was watching her from the boat. Unfortunately she got too close and managed to wrap herself in the net. She couldn’t surface to breathe. Piccolo was in a panic, whistling so loud she could be heard in air, darting back and forth. I yelled for the fisherman, who was working the other end of the net. Minutes went by before the fisher unwrapped her and she could breathe. Cut and bleeding badly from the net, she sped away with Piccolo. Piccolo stayed in ‘baby position’ underneath her for a full 20 minutes, not leaving her side. I stayed with them until they resumed a slow swimming speed and the bleeding stopped. Piccolo was far too young to survive the loss of her mother. Fortunately, Puck recovered from her injuries, although the rope marks and cuts to her dorsal fin and flipper remained as a reminder to all of us.

Piccolo and her younger sister, Kiya, were about as close to Puck as mothers and daughters can be. Of the 1500+ dolphins we study, no kinship bonds are as strong. With her sons, India and Samu, she nursed them for a long time (5 and 8 years respectively), but once weaned, the bond weakened and she only saw them periodically. Neither son seemed too interested in leaving Puck’s side (evident by the late weaning), but both have managed to develop strong bonds with other males their own age.

Puck was the center of several documentaries, notably the BBC’s “The Dolphins of Shark Bay” produced in 2011. A popular children’s book by the same name, authored by Pamela Turner, recounts Puck’s life.
Puck was one of the oldest dolphins we have followed over the years. A few have made it into their mid or late-forties. We knew Samu would be her last calf, as mothers sometimes nurse the last one for a very long time. She weaned Samu in 2018, and since regained much of the weight she lost nursing such a large calf. But, she insured his survival, giving him her all.

She leaves a great legacy and a large family, which millions more will hopefully see in years to come. I will miss her.

Janet Mann is a Professor of Biology at Georgetown University in Washington DC. She has studied the Monkey Mia and Shark Bay dolphins for over 30 years and written 100s of articles and two books: Deep Thinkers: Inside the minds of whales, dolphins, and porpoises (2017) and Cetacean Societies (2000), both with University of Chicago Press. (Photo by Margaret Stanton, monkeymiadolphins.org)

Recent Georgetown graduate Sam Balthazard shares his research using machine learning to determine age of Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins

#Hoyas2019 Research Snapshot - Sam Balthazard - Aging in Bottlenose Dolphins “Computer science concepts and technology can be applied toward environmental purposes in a really powerful way.” Learn how Sam Balthazard (C'19)…

CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Caitlin Karniski for successfully defended her PhD titled “Effects of Senescence on Reproduction and Behavior in Bottlenose Dolphins” this week!

Catch Janet Mann on this week’s episode of the podcast! 🔈Link in bio

Check out Janet Mann in this week's episode of the Big Biology podcast!!

It's dolphin time. Tune into this episode to hear Marty and Art talk to Janet about how dolphins form social groups, use tools, and communicate with one another.

Link: http://ow.ly/XAy850ut5gb

📸: Ann-Marie Jacoby, NMFS permit 19403, Potomac-Chespakeake Dolphin Project.: