Dolphins 101


Transcript

NARRATOR:

The Adventures of the Atlantic Spotted Dolphins

A Pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins is swimming in the warm Gulf Stream waters of southern Florida. But one of the pod members seems to be missing – one of the youngsters is off exploring.

The warm waters are also home to the dolphin’s predator – the shark! The youngster’s mother knows she’s vulnerable to attack when she’s alone.

Imitating her daughter’s signature whistle, the mother dolphin calls to the wayward youth. Sensitive hearing allows the youngster to pick up the mother’s calls. She rejoins the group safely.

The gang is involved in a game of bait ball. The fish take this formation hoping to create a large force of terror. But for the dolphins it is just a massive sushi bar! This school of fish won’t be around for long with all these hungry appetites.

But wait! Could it be lunchtime for someone else too? What’s lurking out there? It’s past the spotted dolphins’ visual range – They’ll have to use echolocation to discover what’s approaching. High-pitched frequency clicks are sent out from the dolphin’s melon. The sounds bounce off anything more or less dense than water – and return to the dolphin, creating a visual picture. 

Aaaack! It’s a hammerhead shark~ A feared predator of Atlantic spotted dolphins!! No time to lose! The young males quickly swim into formation. They circle the shark in a threatening manner – pummeling it with squawks, screams, and high-pitched whistles. The shark gives up, outnumbered and confused from all the activity.

This time it’s victory for the Atlantic spotted dolphins!