David K. Caldwell

Individualized Whistle Contours in Bottle-nosed Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

IN 1953, Essapian1 suggested that individual bottle-nosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus (Montagu), may have distinctive notes which each dolphin can recognize. From his context, in using the word ‘notes’ Essapian referred to the whistle component of Tursiops phonation.

The Whistle of the Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)—Ontogeny

Data gathered on whistles of 126 Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of assorted sizes and both sexes indicate that the whistle varies with age in several parameters. Most, but not all, of the changes occur within the first two years of life.

Comparative lipid patterns in acoustical and nonacoustical fatty tissues of dolphins, porpoises and toothed whales

Abstract 1. 1. Jaw and blubber fats from twenty different genera of Odontoceti were analyzed for lipid class composition and for iodine value. Results were compared with our previous analyses on melon fats from the same animals. 2. 2. Melon and jaw fats in each animal are very similar in lipid class composition and iodine value but differ significantly from the corresponding blubber fats. The head fats are composed of lower molecular weight and more saturated lipids than are found in the blubber. 3. 3. High levels of isovalerate lipids are found only in the families Delphinidae, Phocoenidae and Monodontidae. The Ziphiidae, Physeteridae and Platanistidae fats are almost entirely longer chain length lipids. 4. 4. Delphinidae head fats consist of triglycerides plus significant amounts (⩾ 3%) of wax ester. Phocoenidae and Monodontidae head fats are almost exclusively triglycerides with little or no (⩽ 3%) wax ester present. 5. 5. Ziphiidae blubber fats are almost entirely (⩾ 94%) wax ester, a unique characteristic distinguishing them from all other whales. 6. 6. Relative velocity of sound waves in odontocete head fats would be lowest in the families Delphinidae, Phocoenidae and Monodontidae, intermediate in the Ziphiidae and highest in the Physeteridae and Platanistidae. This may indicate several types of echolocation mechanisms within the Odontoceti.

Some parasitic diseases of dolphins.

Lungworm infection (Halocercus sp.) in the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was found to be very common in animals captured from the wild and in those raised within an aquarium. Infection of the Amazon dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) with Hunterotrema caballeroi causes pulmonary atelectasis. An unidentified holotrich ciliate was found in the blowholes of over 50% of the animals examined and was responsible for a purulent pneumonia in 1 instance. Hepatic and pancreatic trematodiasis which caused interstitial fibrosis occurred frequently in T. truncatus; the trematode was identified as Campula palliata. Pholeter gastrophilus, a trematode, results in the proliferation of a tumorous mass of fibrous tissue in the wall of the stomach. The sclerotic tissue surrounds cavities containing parasites and ova.

Cooperation among Adult Dolphins

A number of instances of apparent solicitude on the part of adult dolphins for their young, either alive or dead, have been reported in the recent literature. These have particularly related to the mothers habit of holding her young at the surface in an apparent effort to aid it in breathing. Instances of such solicitude in captivity have been reported for the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus , by McBride (Nat. Hist., 45: 29, 1940), McBride and Hebb (Jour. Comp. & Physiol. Psych., 41: 115, 1948), and McBride and Kritz-ler (Jour. Mamm., 32: 254, 1951). Examples of this phenomenon in nature have been given by Moore (Amer. Midi. Nat., 49: 136, 1953) for T. truncatus , and by Hubbs (Jour. Mamm., 34: 498, 1953) for the Pacific bottlenose dolphin, T. gilli . As far as we can discover, there has been only one other instance reported in which an adult made an apparently definite effort to protect another adult that was injured. This behavior was described by Hubbs ( loc. cit. ) where he reports a case in which a striped dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens , stayed close by a harpooned companion “frequently forcing its way between the dying beast and the ship and pushing it away.” Two related instances, perhaps showing an even higher level of intelligence, have recently been observed during collecting operations for the new Gulfarium, The Living Sea, at Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The first such instance occurred on October 30, 1954, while the …

Fish Respiration in the Natural Oxygen Gradient of an Anaerobic Spring in Florida

HUBBS, CARL L., AND KARL F. LAGLER. 1941. Guide to the fishes of the Great Lakes and tributary waters. Cranbrook Inst. Sci., Bull. 18: 1-100, figs. 1-118. OSBURN, R. C. 1901. The fishes of Ohio. Ohio State Acad. Sci., Special Paper 4: 5-104. RANEY, E. C. 1940a. The breeding behavior of the common shiner, Notropis cornutus (Mitchell). Zoologica, 25 (1): 1-14, fig. 1, pls. 1-4. . 1940b. Reproductive activities of a ., L F. LAGLER. 1941. hybrid minnow, Notropis cornutus X Notropis rubellus. Ibid., 25 (3): 361-7. REIGHARD, J. E. 1910. Methods of studying the habits of fishes with an account of the breeding habits of the horned dace. Bull. U. S. Bur. Fish., 28 (1908): 1111-36, figs. 1-5, pls. 114-20. SMITH, BERTRAM G. 1908. The spawning habits of Chrosomus erythrogaster (Rafinesque). Biol. Bull., 15 (1): 9-18.

Populations of Spotted Sunfish and Florida Largemouth Bass in a Constant-Temperature Spring

Abstract Populations of spotted sunfish, Lepomis punctatus punctatus (Valenciennes) and Florida largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides floridanus (LeSueur) have been studied in the fertile biotic communities of Silver Springs, Florida. This large limestone spring has a constant temperature, nearly constant chemical environment, and stable biological communities, but a seasonal change in light intensity and general productivity. Studies of the scales of these two species have shown rings which are possibly rhythmic but not related to temperature. Strong rings in spotted Sunfish are apparently too numerous to be annuli and their formation is not correlated with the time of year. The spotted sunfish population reproduces mainly in spring and summer, although there is evidence for some scattered winter breeding. Age groups do not stand out distinctly in length-frequency diagrams. Reproduction by Florida largemouth bass appears to be chiefly limited to spring and summer. Thus, even with a constant temperature,...

Notes on the Spotted Dolphin, Stenella plagiodon, and the First Record of the Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis, in the Gulf of Mexico

Through the courtesy of Mr. Stewart Springer, I had the opportunity to make Cruise No. 23 of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service M/V Oregon to the Western Gulf of Mexico during May and part of June, 1954, and to record the observations on the spotted dolphin, Stenella plagiodon , noted below. Sight records are summarized in Table 1 and Figure 1. The numbers in parentheses refer to Figure 1. View this table: Table 1 Observations of spotted dolphins made aboard the M/V Oregon from May 7 to June 5, 1954 Fig. 1 —Approximate positions of the M/V Oregon in the Western Gulf of Mexico in May and June of 1954. All of the observations of the spotted dolphin recorded in Table 1 were made in the immediate vicinity of the vessel, primarily around and in front of the bow, though on two occasions, positions (6) and (8), the individuals were seen to follow a large otter trawl to the surface as it was being hauled in. Both of these times the dolphins milled around the filled cod end of the net until it was actually brought on board. Only once, the afternoon record at position (2), did the animals stay with the vessel more than a few minutes, ten or less. They usually ran with the ship just at the bow, occasionally darting away and returning before disappearing very rapidly, as they had appeared. The ones at the bow usually held their speed with that of the vessel, which ranged from a near standstill to approximately ten knots. Their frequency of blowing also seemed to be correlated with the speed of the ship. When moving rapidly they blew every 5–10 seconds, and when nearly motionless (when the vessel was almost stopped) …

Clarification of the Species of the Butterflyfish Genus Forcipiger

Forcipiger longirostris, long used for the most common butterflyfish of the genus Forcipiger, is replaced by flavissimus Jordan and McGregor. Chelmon lol Montrouzier is a synonym of C. rostratus (Linnaeus). Following the rediscovery of the type of Chaetodon longirostris Broussonet by Wheeler, F. cyrano Randall is referred to the synonymy of longirostris. F. inornatus Randall is revealed as a probable dark color phase of F. longirostris. The range of longirostris is extended to the Marshall Islands, Wake Island, Guam, and the Comoro Islands.

Intentional Removal of a Disturbing Object by an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin

That captive Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus Montague, will often play with objects with which they may come in contact has already been fully documented by Townsend (Zoologica, 1(16): 290, 1914), McBride and Hebb (Jour. Comp. and Physiol. Psych., 41: 116–17, 1948), McBride (Nat. Hist., 45: 28, 1940), and Essapiah (Nat. Hist., 62: 392, 396, 1953). Some of these objects of play as described by the above writers are: a floating box, rubber inner tube, partly deflated rubber ball, pieces of rock or shell, colored disks, dead fish, and even live fish and turtles, which are caught and released unharmed, and, in the case of one large turtle, was stood up on edge and pushed all the way across the tank and up against the far wall. McBride and Kritzler (Jour. …