Thursday, March 13, 2014

Happy Birthday Tanner!

 
Join us in singing Happy Birthday to the world famous, Tanner! This handsome young man was born at DRC on March 13th, 2002. Son to Santini and A.J., he not only only has great looks but he's extremely intelligent too. He loves to play cognitive games and took part in both of our Blindfolded Imitation studies. We asked Tanner to copy the behaviors of another dolphin while wearing eyecups (soft, lat...ex suction cups that completely cover his eyes). And….he could do it. Not only that, but we took it a step further and asked him to imitate a human in the water while blindfolded and he did it again! With these studies, Tanner and DRC have shown that dolphins not only have the ability to imitate, but can imitate with a kind of problem-solving flexibility that's never been seen outside of humans. Tanner has shown off his research skills for journalists and television shows around the globe. Following in the flukeprints of his dad, Tanner loves attention and is known to be a flirt when it comes to the ladies. Next time you're out on the causeway, blow him a kiss and see if you get a "smooch" back. Happy Birthday, Tanner. We love you!

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