Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Structure and Life History of Bottlenose Dolphins Near Sarasota Bay, Florida: Insights from Four Decades and Five Generations

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Primates and Cetaceans

Part of the book series: Primatology Monographs ((PrimMono))

Abstract

Studies of social ecology can benefit from long-term observations, as these provide researchers with opportunities to distinguish between the relative contributions of life history, demographics, and ecological pressures to the development of social patterns. Long-term study can provide the means of interpreting changes in stable social patterns relative to changes in environmental factors or availability of members of specific age-sex classes. The strength of social patterns can be measured by their persistence from one generation to the next, and as individuals pass life history milestones.

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has been engaged in studies of bottlenose dolphins along the central west coast of Florida, including Sarasota Bay, since 1970. The research includes focal animal behavioral observations, photographic identification surveys, biopsy darting for genetic and contaminant samples, and occasional capture–release efforts to examine the animals’ behavior, ecology, life history, population biology, health, and concentrations and effects of environmental contaminants. More than 4,800 individuals have been identified in the bays and coastal Gulf of Mexico waters of the region, including the approximately 160 dolphins using Sarasota Bay on a regular basis. A mosaic of adjacent, often slightly overlapping dolphin communities has been identified based on sighting locations and social associations, and genetic findings support these designations. These communities are genetically distinguishable but not isolated.

The communities of dolphins residing in and around Sarasota Bay, the most intensively studied animals, are characterized by a high level of multigenerational site fidelity and low levels of emigration and immigration. The social structure includes three basic components: nursery groups built around females with young of similar age, juvenile groups, and adult males, mostly in strongly bonded, long-term male pairs or sometimes as single individuals. This overall structure has remained relatively stable through five generations; however, core area use, group size, and some social association patterns show variability over time. Paternity testing suggests that male pair-bonding may improve reproductive success. Female reproductive success appears to be related to mother’s age, experience, and environmental contaminant residues. Older, more experienced mothers are more successful in rearing young over the typical 3- to 6-year period of association; these females have also previously depurated organochlorine contaminants that otherwise might have influenced reproduction and health.

figure a

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Barnes LG (2002) Dephinoids, evolution of the modern families. In: Perrin WF, Würsig B, Thewissen JGM (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic, San Diego, pp 314–316

    Google Scholar 

  • Barros NB, Wells RS (1998) Prey and feeding patterns of resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. J Mammal 79(3):1045–1059

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barros NB, Ostrom P, Stricker C, Wells RS (2010) Stable isotopes differentiate bottlenose dolphins off west central Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 26:324–336

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bassos-Hull K, Perrtree R, Shepard C, Schilling S, Barleycorn A, Allen J, Balmer B, Pine W, Wells R (2013) Long-term site fidelity and seasonal abundance estimates of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) along the southwest coast of Florida and responses to natural perturbations. J Cetacean Res Manag 13:19–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Benoit-Bird KJ, Würsig B, McFadden CJ (2004) Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) foraging in two different habitats: active acoustic detection of dolphins and their prey. Mar Mamm Sci 20:215–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berens McCabe E, Gannon DP, Barros NB, Wells RS (2010) Prey selection in a resident common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) community in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Mar Biol 157(5):931–942

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bigg M (1982) An assessment of killer whale (Orcinus orca) stocks off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Rep Int Whaling Comm 32:655–666

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan CE, Christopher SJ, Balmer BC, Wells RS (2007) Establishing baseline levels of trace elements in blood and skin of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida: implications for non-invasive monitoring. Sci Total Environ 388:325–342

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buck JD, Wells RS, Rhinehart HL, Hansen LJ (2006) Aerobic microorganisms associated with free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in coastal Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean waters. J Wildl Dis 42:536–544

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buckstaff KC (2004) Effects of watercraft noise on the acoustic behavior of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 20:709–725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdett Hart L, Wells RS, Adams JD, Rotstein DS, Schwacke LH (2010) Modeling lacaziosis lesion progression in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus using long-term photographic records. Dis Aquat Org 90:105–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdett Hart L, Rotstein DS, Wells RS, Schwacke LH (2011) Lacaziosis and lacaziois-like prevalence among common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the west coast of Florida, USA. Dis Aquat Org 95:49–56

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cockcroft V, DeKock A, Lord D, Ross G (1989) Organochlorines in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the east coast of South Africa. S Afr J Mar Sci 8:207–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connor RC, Wells RS, Mann J, Read AJ (2000) The bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops spp.: social relationships in a fission–fusion society. In: Mann J, Connor RC, Tyack PL, Whitehead H (eds) Cetacean societies: field studies of dolphins and whales. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 91–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham-Smith P, Colbert DE, Wells RS, Speakman T (2006) Evaluation of human interactions with a wild bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) near Sarasota Bay, Florida, and efforts to curtail the interactions. Aquat Mammal 32:346–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeLynn RE, Lovewell G, Wells RS, Early G (2011) Congenital scoliosis of a bottlenose dolphin. J Wildl Dis 47(4):979–983

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffield DA, Wells RS (1991) The combined application of chromosome, protein and molecular data for the investigation of social unit structure and dynamics in Tursiops truncatus. In: Hoelzel AR (ed) Genetic ecology of whales and dolphins. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 13. Cambridge, pp 155–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffield DA, Wells RS (2002) The molecular profile of a resident community of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. In: Pfeiffer CJ (ed) Molecular and cell biology of marine mammals. Krieger, Melbourne, pp 3–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Duignan PJ, House C, Odell DK, Wells RS, Hansen LJ, Walsh MT, St. Aubin DJ, Rima BK, Geraci JR (1996) Morbillivirus infection in bottlenose dolphins: Evidence for recurrent epizootics in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Marine Mammal Science 12:499-515

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunshea G, Duffield D, Gales N, Hindell M, Wells RS, Jarman SN (2011) Telomeres as age markers in animal molecular ecology. Mol Ecol Resour 11:225–235

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Esch C, Sayigh L, Wells R (2009) Quantification of parameters of signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins. Mar Mamm Sci 25:976–986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fauquier DA, Kinsel MJ, Dailey MD, Sutton GE, Stolen MK, Wells RS, Gulland FMD (2009) Prevalence and pathology of lungworm infection in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from southwest Florida. Dis Aquat Org 88:85–90

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fazioli KL, Hofmann S, Wells RS (2006) Use of coastal Gulf of Mexico waters by distinct assemblages of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Aquatic Mammals 32:212–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Fire SE, Fauquier D, Flewelling LJ, Henry M, Naar J, Pierce R, Wells RS (2007) Brevetoxin exposure in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) associated with Karenia brevis blooms in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Mar Biol 152:827–834

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fire SE, Flewelling LJ, Wang Z, Naar J, Henry MS, Pierce RH, Wells RS (2008) Florida red tide and brevetoxins: association and exposure in live resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, USA. Mar Mamm Sci 24:831–844

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ford JKB, Fisher HD (1983) Group-specific dialects of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in British Columbia. In: Payne RS (ed) Communication and behavior of whales. Westview, Boulder, pp 129–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster EA, Franks DW, Mazzi S, Darden SK, Balcomb KC, Ford JKB, Croft DP (2012) Adaptive prolonged postreproductive life span in killer whales. Science 337:1313

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fripp D, Owen C, Quintana-Rizzo, Shapiro A, Buckstaff K, Jankowski K, Wells RS, Tyack P (2005) Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) calves appear to model their signature whistles on the signature whistles of community members. Anim Cognit 8:17–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Gannon DP, Berens EJ, Camilleri SA, Gannon JG, Brueggen MK, Barleycorn A, Palubok V, Kirkpatrick GJ, Wells RS (2009) Effects of Karenia brevis harmful algal blooms on nearshore fish communities in southwest Florida. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 378:171–186

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg TL, Wrangham RW (1997) Genetic correlates of social behaviour in wild chimpanzees: evidence from mitochondrial DNA. Anim Behav 54:559–570

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall J (1983) The chimpanzees of Gombe: patterns of behavior. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall AJ, McConnell BJ, Rowles TK, Aguilar A, Borrell A, Schwacke L, Reijnders PJH, Wells RS (2006) An individual-based model framework to assess the population consequences of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in bottlenose dolphins. Environ Health Perspect 114(suppl 1):60–64

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hall AJ, Wells RS, Sweeney JC, Townsend FI, Balmer BC, Hohn AA, Rhinehart HL (2007) Annual, seasonal and individual variation in hematology and clinical blood chemistry profiles in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida. Comp Biochem Physiol A 148:266–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hart LB, Rotstein DS, Wells RS, Allen J, Barleycorn A, Balmer BC, Lane SM, Speakman T, Zolman ES, Stolen M, McFee W, Goldstein T, Rowles TK, Schwacke LH (2012) Skin lesions on common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from three sites in the Northwest Atlantic, USA. PLoS One 7(3):e33081. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033081

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hohn AA, Scott MD, Wells RS, Sweeney JC, Irvine AB (1989) Growth layers in teeth from known-age, free-ranging bottlenose dolphins. Mar Mamm Sci 5(4):315–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houde M, Wells RS, Fair PA, Bossart GD, Hohn AA, Rowles TK, Sweeney JC, Solomon KR, Muir DCG (2005) Polyfluoroalkyl compounds in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Environ Sci Technol 39:6591–6598

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Houde M, Balmer BC, Brandsma S, Wells RS, Rowles TK, Solomon KR, Muir DCG (2006) Perfluorinated alkyl compounds in relation with life-history and reproductive parameters in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem 25:2405–2412

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Irvine B, Wells RS (1972) Results of attempts to tag Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Cetology 13:1–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Irvine AB, Scott MD, Wells RS, Kaufmann JH (1981) Movements and activities of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, near Sarasota, Florida. Fish Bull US 79:671–688

    Google Scholar 

  • Janik V, Sayigh LS, Wells RS (2006) Signature whistle shape conveys identity information to bottlenose dolphins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:8293–8297

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janik VM, King SL, Sayigh LS, Wells RS (2013) Identifying signature whistles from recordings of groups of unrestrained bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Mar Mamm Sci 29:109–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kucklick J, Schwacke L, Wells R, Hohn A, Guichard A, Yordy J, Hansen L, Zolman E, Wilson R, Litz J, Nowacek D, Rowles T, Pugh R, Balmer B, Sinclair C, Rosel P (2011) Bottlenose dolphins as indicators of persistent organic pollutants in waters along the US East and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Environ Sci Technol 45:4270–4277

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lahvis GP, Wells RS, Kuehl DW, Stewart JL, Rhinehart HL, Via CS (1995) Decreased lymphocyte responses in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are associated with increased concentrations of PCBs and DDT in peripheral blood. Environ Health Perspect 103:67–72

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mann J, Connor RC, Tyack PL, Whitehead H (eds) (2000) Cetacean societies: field studies of dolphins and whales. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann D, Hill-Cook M, Manire CA, Greenhow D, Montie E, Powell J, Wells RS, Bauer G, Cunningham-Smith P, Lingenfelser R, DiGiovanni R, Stone A, Brodsky M, Stevens R, Kieffer G, Hoetjes P (2010) Hearing loss in stranded odontocete dolphins and whales. PLoS One 5(11):e13824. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013824

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McHugh KA, Allen JB, Barleycorn A, Wells RS (2011a) Natal philopatry, ranging behavior, and habitat selection of juvenile bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, FL. J Mammal 92:1298–1313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McHugh KA, Allen JB, Barleycorn AA, Wells RS (2011b) Severe harmful algal bloom events influence juvenile common bottlenose dolphin behavior and sociality in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 27:622–643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller DL, Woshner V, Styer EL, Ferguson S, Knott KK, Gray MJ, Wells RS, O’Hara TM (2011) Histological findings in free-ranging Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skin: mercury, selenium and seasonal factors. J Wildl Dis 47(4):1012–1018

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moors TL (1997) Is ‘menage a trois’ important in dolphin mating systems? Behavioral patterns of breeding female bottlenose dolphins. M.Sc. thesis, University of California, Santa Cruz

    Google Scholar 

  • Nollens HH, Rivera R, Palacios G, Wellehan JFX, Saliki JT, Caseltine SL, Smith CR, Jensen ED, Hui J, Lipkin WI, Yochem PK, Wells RS, St. Leger J, Venn-Watson S (2009) New recognition of Enterovirus infections in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Vet Microbiol 139:170–175

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Noren SR, Wells RS (2009) Postnatal blubber deposition in free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with considerations to buoyancy and cost of transport. J Mammal 90:629–637

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris KS, Dohl TP (1980a) The structure and function of cetacean schools. In: Herman LM (ed) Cetacean behavior: mechanisms and functions. Wiley, New York, pp 211–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris KS, Dohl TP (1980b) The behavior of the Hawaiian spinner porpoise, Stenella longirostris. Fish Bull US 77:821–849

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris KS, Würsig B, Wells RS, Würsig M (1994) The Hawaiian spinner dolphin. University of California Press, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowacek SM, Wells RS, Solow AR (2001) Short-term effects of boat traffic on bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 17:673–688

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owen CFW (2001) A comparison of maternal care by primiparous and multiparous bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus: does parenting improve with experience? M.Sc. thesis, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen ECG (2003) The reproductive and ecological functions of the pair-bond between allied adult male bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Santa Cruz

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen ECG, Hofmann S, Wells RS (2002) Ranging and social association patterns of paired and unpaired adult male bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota, Florida, provide no evidence for alternative male strategies. Can J Zool 80:2072–2089

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons KM, Balcomb KC III, Ford JKB, Durban JW (2009) The social dynamics of southern resident killer whales and conservation implications for this endangered population (Orcinus orca). Anim Behav 77:963–971

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell JR, Wells RS (2011) Recreational fishing depredation and associated behaviors involving common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 27:111–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quintana-Rizzo E, Mann DA, Wells RS (2006) Estimated communication range of social sounds used by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). J Acoust Soc Am 120:1671–1683

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Read AJ, Wells RS, Hohn AA, Scott MD (1993) Patterns of growth in wild bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. J Zool Lond 231:107–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds JE III, Wells RS, Eide SD (2000) The bottlenose dolphin: biology and conservation. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, p 289

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowles TK, Schwacke LS, Wells RS, Saliki JT, Hansen L, Hohn A, Townsend F, Sayre RA, Hall AJ (2011) Evidence of susceptibility to morbillivirus infection in cetaceans from the United States. Mar Mamm Sci 27:1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz C, Nollens HH, Venn-Watson S, Green LG, Wells RS, Walsh MT, Chittick E, McBain JF, Jacobson ER (2009) Baseline circulating immunoglobulin G levels in managed collection and free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Dev Comp Immunol 33:449–455

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sayigh LS, Tyack PT, Wells RS, Scott MD (1990) Signature whistles of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus: stability and mother-offspring comparisons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 26:247–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayigh LS, Tyack PL, Wells RS, Scott MD, Irvine AB (1995) Sex difference in signature whistle production of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 36:171–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayigh LS, Tyack PL, Wells RS, Solow AR, Scott MD, Irvine AB (1999) Individual recognition in wild bottlenose dolphins: a field test using playback experiments. Anim Behav 57:41–50

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sayigh LS, Esch HC, Wells RS, Janik VM (2007) Facts about signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Anim Behav 74:1631–1642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwacke LH, Voit EO, Hansen LJ, Wells RS, Mitchum GB, Hohn AA, Fair PA (2002) Probabilistic risk assessment of reproductive effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the southeast United States coast. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21:2752–2764.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwacke LH, Hall AJ, Townsend FI, Wells RS, Hansen LJ, Hohn AA, Bossart GD, Fair PA, Rowles TK (2009) Hematologic and serum biochemical reference intervals for free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and variation in the distributions of clinicopathologic values related to geographic sampling site. Am J Vet Res 70:973–985

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwacke LH, Twiner MJ, De Guise S, Balmer BC, Wells RS, Townsend FI, Rotstein DC, Varela RA, Hansen LJ, Zolman ES, Spradlin TR, Levin M, Leibrecht H, Wang Z, Rowles TK (2010) Eosinophilia and biotoxin exposure in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from a coastal area impacted by repeated mortality events. Environ Res 110:548–555

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwacke LH, Zolman ES, Balmer BC, De Guise S, George RC, Hoguet J, Hohn AA, Kucklick JR, Lamb S, Levin M, Litz JA, McFee WE, Place NJ, Townsend FI, Wells RS, Rowles TK (2011) Anemia, hypothyroidism, and immune suppression associated with polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 279:48–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott MD, Wells RS, Irvine AB (1990a) A long-term study of bottlenose dolphins on the west coast of Florida. In: Leatherwood S, Reeves RR (eds) The bottlenose dolphin. Academic, San Diego, pp 235–244

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Scott MD, Wells RS, Irvine AB, Mate BR (1990b) Tagging and marking studies on small cetaceans. In: Leatherwood S, Reeves RR (eds) The bottlenose dolphin. Academic, San Diego, pp 489–514, 653 pp

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sellas AB, Wells RS, Rosel PE (2005) Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses reveal fine scale geographic structure in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Gulf of Mexico. Conserv Genet 6:715–728

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • St. Aubin DJ, Forney KA, Chivers SJ, Scott MD, Danil K, Romano T, Wells RS, Gulland FMD (2013) Hematological, serum and plasma chemical constituents in pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) following chase, encirclement and tagging. Mar Mamm Sci 29:14–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolley KA, Read AJ, Wells RS, Urian KW, Scott MD, Irvine AB, Hohn AA (1995) Sexual dimorphism in wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota, Florida. J Mammal 76(4):1190–1198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twiner MJ, Fire S, Schwacke L, Davidson L, Wang Z, Morton S, Roth S, Balmer B, Rowles T, Wells R (2011) Concurrent exposure of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to multiple toxins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA. PLoS One 6(3):e17394. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017394

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Urian KW, Hofmann S, Wells RS, Read AJ (2009) Fine-scale population structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Tampa Bay, Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 25:619–638

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venn-Watson S, Rivera R, Smith CR, Saliki JT, Casteline S, St. Leger J, Yochem P, Wells RS, Nollens H (2008) Exposure to novel parainfluenza virus and clinical relevance in two bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations. Emerg Infect Dis 14:397–405

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Venn-Watson S, Townsend FI, Daniels RL, Sweeney JC, McBain JW, Klatsky LJ, Hicks CL, Staggs LA, Rowles TK, Schwacke LH, Wells RS, Smith CR (2010) Hypocitraturia in common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): assessing a potential risk factor for urate nephrolithiasis. Comp Med 60:1–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Watwood SL, Tyack PL, Wells RS (2004) Whistle sharing in paired male bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 55:531–543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watwood SL, Owen ECG, Tyack PL, Wells RS (2005) Signature whistle use by free-swimming and temporarily restrained bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Anim Behav 69:1373–1386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weir JS, Duprey NMT, Würsig B (2008) Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) subgroup distribution: are shallow waters a refuge for nursery groups? Can J Zool 86:1225–1234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (1986) Structural aspects of dolphin societies. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Santa Cruz

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (1991) The role of long-term study in understanding the social structure of a bottlenose dolphin community. In: Pryor K, Norris KS (eds) Dolphin societies: discoveries and puzzles. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 199–225

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (1993) Why all the blubbering? BISON Brookfield Zoo 7(2):12–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (2000) Reproduction in wild bottlenose dolphins: Overview of patterns observed during a long-term study. In: Duffield D, Robeck T (eds) Bottlenose dolphin reproduction workshop report. AZA Marine Mammal Taxon Advisory Group, Silver Spring, pp 57–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (2003) Dolphin social complexity: lessons from long-term study and life history. In: de Waal FBM, Tyack PL (eds) Animal social complexity: intelligence, culture, and individualized societies. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp 32–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (2009a) Learning from nature: bottlenose dolphin care and husbandry. Zoo Biol 28:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (2009b) Identification methods. In: Perrin WF, Würsig B, Thewissen JGM (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals, 2nd edn. Elsevier, San Diego, pp 593–599

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS (2010) Feeling the heat: potential climate change impacts on bottlenose dolphins. Whalewatcher J Am Cetacean Soc 39(2):12–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Scott MD (1990) Estimating bottlenose dolphin population parameters from individual identification and capture-release techniques. In: Hammond PS, Mizroch SA, Donovan GP (eds) Individual recognition of cetaceans: use of photo-identification and other techniques to estimate population parameters. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 12, Cambridge, pp 407–415

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Scott MD (1994) Incidence of gear entanglement for resident inshore bottlenose dolphins near Sarasota, Florida. In: Perrin WF, Donovan GP, Barlow J (eds) Gillnets and cetaceans. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 15, p 629

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Scott MD (1997) Seasonal incidence of boat strikes on bottlenose dolphins near Sarasota, Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 13:475–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Scott MD (1999) Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821). In: Ridgway SH, Harrison R (eds) Handbook of marine mammals: the second book of dolphins and porpoises, vol 6. Academic, San Diego, pp 137–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Boness DJ, Rathbun GB (1999) Behavior. Pp. 324-422 In: Reynolds JE III, Rommel SA (eds) Biology of marine mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. Pp 324–422

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Irvine AB, Scott MD (1980) The social ecology of inshore odontocetes. In: Herman LM (ed) Cetacean behavior: mechanisms and functions. Wiley, New York, pp 263–317

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Scott MD, Irvine AB (1987) The social structure of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins. In: Genoways H (ed) Current mammalogy, vol 1. Plenum Press, New York, pp 247–305

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Hofmann S, Moors TL (1998) Entanglement and mortality of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in recreational fishing gear in Florida. Fish Bull 96:647–650

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Rhinehart HL, Hansen LJ, Sweeney JC, Townsend FI, Stone R, Casper D, Scott MD, Hohn AA, Rowles TK (2004) Bottlenose dolphins as marine ecosystem sentinels: developing a health monitoring system. EcoHealth 1:246–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Tornero V, Borrell A, Aguilar A, Rowles TK, Rhinehart HL, Hofmann S, Jarman WM, Hohn AA, Sweeney JC (2005) Integrating life history and reproductive success data to examine potential relationships with organochlorine compounds for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Sci Total Environ 349:106–119

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wells RS, Allen JB, Hofmann S, Bassos-Hull K, Fauquier DA, Barros NB, DeLynn RE, Sutton G, Socha V, Scott MD (2008) Consequences of injuries on survival and reproduction of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) along the west coast of Florida. Mar Mamm Sci 24:774–794

    Google Scholar 

  • Woshner V, Knott K, Wells R, Willetto C, Swor R, O’Hara T (2008) Mercury and selenium in blood and epidermis of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida (USA): interaction and relevance to life history and hematologic parameters. EcoHealth 5(1):1–11. doi:10.1007/s10393-008-0164-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Würsig B, Jefferson TA (1990) Methods of photo-identification for small cetaceans. In: Hammond PS, Mizroch SA, Donovan GP (eds) Individual recognition of cetaceans: use of photo-identification and other techniques to estimate population parameters. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 12, Cambridge, pp 43–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Würsig B, Würsig M (1980) Behavior and ecology of the dusky dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus, in the South Atlantic. Fish Bull 77:871–890

    Google Scholar 

  • Yordy JE, Mollenhauer MAM, Wilson RM, Wells RS, Hohn A, Sweeney J, Schwacke LH, Rowles TK, Kucklick JR, Peden-Adams MM (2010a) Complex contaminant exposure in cetaceans: a comparative E-SCREEN analysis of bottlenose dolphin blubber and mixtures of four persistent organic pollutants. Environ Toxicol Chem 29:2143–2153

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yordy J, Wells RS, Balmer BC, Schwacke L, Rowles T, Kucklick JR (2010b) Life history as a source of variation for persistent organic pollutant (POP) patterns in a community of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) resident to Sarasota Bay, FL. Sci Total Environ 408:2163–2172

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yordy JE, Pabst DA, McLellan WA, Wells RS, Rowles TK, Kucklick JR (2010c) Tissue-specific distribution and whole body burden estimates of persistent organic pollutants in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Environ Toxicol Chem 29:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yordy JE, Wells RS, Balmer BC, Schwacke LH, Rowles TK, Kucklick JR (2010d) Partitioning of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) between blubber and blood of wild bottlenose dolphins: implications for biomonitoring and health. Environ Sci Technol 44:4789–4795

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

  Many people over the past 43 years have contributed to the information presented in this chapter. Without the initial efforts of Blair Irvine and Michael Scott in the 1970s (and continuing today), there would have been no long-term study to report. Over the years the program has benefited greatly from the dedicated services of our laboratory managers and field coordinators, including Kim Urian, Sue Hofmann, Kim Bassos-Hull, Stephanie Nowacek, and Jason Allen, along with myriad staff, students, colleagues, and volunteers. Crucial information on ages has been provided by Aleta Hohn, and on genetic relationships by Debbie Duffield. Major support for ongoing operations has been provided by the Chicago Zoological Society, the Batchelor Foundation, NOAA’s Fisheries Service, Disney, Earthwatch Institute, the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, Dolphin Quest, and Mote Marine Laboratory. Many thanks to Katherine McHugh for her review of an early draft.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chicago Zoological Society, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, 34236, USA

    Randall S. Wells

Authors
  1. Randall S. Wells
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Randall S. Wells .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science Laboratory of Human Evolution Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Juichi Yamagiwa

  2. The Swire Institute of Marine Science School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Shek O, Hong Kong SAR

    Leszek Karczmarski

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Japan

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wells, R.S. (2014). Social Structure and Life History of Bottlenose Dolphins Near Sarasota Bay, Florida: Insights from Four Decades and Five Generations. In: Yamagiwa, J., Karczmarski, L. (eds) Primates and Cetaceans. Primatology Monographs. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54523-1_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation