Happy Birthday Calusa!

 

Born to Merina and Rainbow at DRC in 2001, Calusa came into this world with the same zest for life that she has today! She loves to squeal at guests for attention, is full of dolphinality, and adores hula hoops. If you see a pretty girl with a dorsal like a lasagna noodle, you've found our little goose.

 

Happy Birthday Calusa! We love you.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

 

On behalf of Dolphin Research Center, Cayo and Delta wish you a wonderful

Valentine's Day!

Stumped

Mandy getting a kiss from his buddy, Tanner.

 

Have you ever been asked a question that completely stumped you? Dolphin Research Center’s very own co-founder and COO, Mandy Rodriguez, asked several children in the crowd during a session with his buddy Tanner, what they think happens when he presses a dolphin belly button. The kids shrugged their shoulders and looked at their parents, who also had no idea of the answer. The entire audience had an immensely confused looks on their faces. What does happen when you push a dolphin’s belly button?

 It turns out that they make bubbles! Well, the dolphins at DRC do at least. They not only blow bubbles, but wiggle their flippers when they’re tickled, and blow raspberries, which we joke they learned from the male workers at the facility.

The kids in the audience loved all of the behaviors Tanner showed off that were just like human activities. Not only was the session fun but it was informative too! We believe that’s the best way to learn.

Sea Rescue!

Our little super star, Jax.

Our very own Jax and Mandy Rodriguez will be featured on the February 16th episode of Sea Rescue. Tune in Saturday morning, or set your DVR's, to hear all about this incredible story.

Be sure to let us know what you think by hitting us up on Facebook after the show.

Dolphin Snacks

Louie and Luna are like two peas in a pod.

 

 

One of the most common questions staff and volunteers are asked at Dolphin Research Center is, “do the dolphins eat the fish in their lagoons”? Our typical response is that they get free room service every day, so they’re pretty content with eating what’s in their bucket. However, the dolphins do enjoy playing and eating fish in their lagoons.

Louie, being a rescue from Louisiana, loves to munch on shrimp. He’s been known to wander away from his dock and chase them around the lagoon. This begins as a play time session that turns into building anticipation as his crowd wonders whether he will or will not gobble it down. Just when we think Louie is going to let the little shrimp swim off, he’s swallowed them.

While he does like to chomp on the shellfish in between sessions, he loves to make a big production out of eating in front of an audience. Being a smart little guy, Louie may listen in on narrations and know that his human friends get asked that question every day. What better way to educate the public than have a dolphin show them?

Louie isn’t the only young dolphin who loves to play with fishy lagoon friends. Luna spends a lot of time chasing minnows around the water. You’ll often find her swimming in circles by herself with her mouth open. To her, they’re like dolphin popcorn.

Cayo has gotten in on the action too. She enjoys a sardine chase. Cayo can often be seen speeding around the lagoon. While she’s not food motivated, Cayo is a very active dolphin. She entertains herself by giving the fish a food scare.

Some of the dolphins use the fish in their lagoons as a bargaining tool. When she finds one, Santini shows it off to her trainers and makes a big production out of having grabbed one. She knows that the trainers will trade her herring to try to save the fish.

Like every other behavior, the dolphins learn how to hunt their prey from their mothers. You’ll find that a calf reacts to fish the same way that their mothers do. Dolphins like Louie, have learned how to hunt fish from his adoptive family here at DRC.

The dolphins do different things with the fish and critters that live in their lagoons. Some eat them, some chase them, some scare them, and some use them for entertainment. Living in a natural environment, there are lots of dolphin snacks and play things swimming around.

 

 

Happy Anniversary Louie!

Happy Anniversary to our little man from Louisiana. Louie is a young male dolphin that was discovered on Fourchon Beach, LA, on September 2, 2010, covered in oil and suffering additional injuries. Estimated to be between one and two years old when rescued, and lacking adequate skills to survive on his own, he was deemed non-releasable by the federal government. Two years ago today, on February 6, 2011, we welcomed Louie into the Dolphin Research Center family. We love this little man so much and are so happy to provide him with his forever home.

A.J. Sets Up His Target

A.J. with his saber.

 

In the pod of three young males, A.J., Tanner, and Jax, A.J. is the laid back one. He’s happy to just hang around the causeway and also loves high energy sessions. A.J. is absolutely hilarious and will do almost anything to put a smile on somebody’s face. Even though he is a very relaxed dude, A.J. sometimes does some very interesting things.

After a session, one of the trainers left a target pole for the boys to play within the lagoon. A.J. carried it around like it was a saber. Under his flipper, he took it from one lagoon to the other as if he was a king with a scepter.

He must have been in a royal mood, because when Jax tried to swim through the gate to follow his buddy, A.J. blocked the gate. He held the target pole vertically across the opening which kept Jax from swimming through to the other side.

Jax did a little tango with his friend, as he tried to go through but A.J. kept him out. It seemed that Jax gave up and swam away. However, the spunky little man had one more card up his flipper. When A.J. let his guard down, Jax swiftly swam through to the shallows. He squealed in delight as he did a victory lap.

Don’t worry though; these two are still great friends. A.J. even let Jax carry the target pole around the lagoon after the adventure.