‘Snooping’ on Dolphins

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have been “snooping” on dolphins – and what they heard offers new clues about where the animals socialize and hunt. Using an autonomous wave glider equipped with an underwater acoustic recorder, the team spent two months listening along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Published in PeerJ, the study found distinct patterns in dolphin whistles, which are associated with social behavior, and echolocation clicks, which help dolphins navigate and find prey.

Whistles were concentrated in nearshore areas, suggesting hotspots for social activity, while echolocation was more prevalent where sound-producing fish were abundant. The overlap raises an intriguing possibility: Dolphins may be listening for their prey – and their prey may be listening for them. These acoustic clues could ultimately help researchers identify and better protect critical dolphin habitat, particularly in coastal waters increasingly affected by human activity.

“What we’re seeing is a fascinating separation between the acoustic behaviors dolphins use for social life and those they use for finding food,” said Greg O’Corry-Crowe, Ph.D., co-author, a research professor at FAU Harbor Branch and a National Geographic Explorer. “The fact that echolocation was associated with sound-producing fish, while whistles were linked to a different set of environmental conditions, suggests dolphins may be responding to their surroundings in very different ways depending on what they are doing. In essence, the same ocean can become a different habitat to a dolphin depending on whether it is looking for a meal or communicating with other dolphins.”

Read the press release.