WHY BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS?
BDRI concentrates its efforts on the study of these marine mammals because they are predators at the top of their food chain, so their well-being provides an excellent indication of the health of the entire marine ecosystem on which they, and we, depend. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are appropriate and useful study animals in this case because of their world-wide distribution, the information gained in our research can be applied to the management of coastal areas. One very important tool that helps our studies of these cetaceans, is that many bottlenose dolphins have nicks and scars in the thin, trailing edge of their dorsal fin. Individual dolphins can be distinguished from one another by photographing their dorsal fins, which are as individual to the trained eye as faces are to humans. Some dolphins have obvious lesions and other characteristic markings on their dorsal fins and bodies that may also further aid in photo-identification. Repeated sightings of known individu
