BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) has been studying the bottlenose dolphins of Sarasota Bay for decades. The species of dolphins native to Sarasota Bay are the Tursiops truncates ("Bottlenose Dolphins of Sarasota Bay). Over this period the members of the research program have come to understand these beautiful creatures more fully in hopes of preserving and protecting them. Bottlenose dolphins are marine mammals ("Bottlenose Dolphins of Sarasota Bay). The role of dolphins in the ecosystem is that of the predator. They control the populations of fish below them in the food chain in order to preserve balance in the ecosystem (dolphinsworld.com). As far as the food web goes, dolphins typically are at the top, although large species of shark are known to eat dolphins smaller than themselves (Sarasota Dolphin Research Program). The life span of a dolphin lasts anywhere from 48 to 60 years for females and up to 50 years for males (Sarasota Dolphin Research Program). Females give birth to live young and care for their calves for 3 to 6 years. After this time period, the calves acquire natural markings allowing the SDRP to identify them for the rest of their lives (Sarasota Dolphin Research Program). The SDRP is able to identify the age of a dolphin based upon the number of layers of enamel that grow around their teeth. As a result, the ages of most of the dolphins in the community from Sarasota Bay are known Dolphins do not provide humans with anything more substantial than research and perhaps an opportunity for sight seeing. And yet, many would agree that seeing them, wild and free, is more than enough.

SOURCES CITED Bottlenose Dolphins of Sarasota Bay - National Zoo| FONZ." Welcome to the National Zoo| FONZ Website. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. "THE CHALLENGE." Threats to Dolphins and Whales, Dolphin Research Center Marathon FL, Dolphin and Sea Mammal Research. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.dolphins.org/marineed_threatstodolphins.php>. <http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/AquaticEcosystems/Dolphins/default.cfm>. Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://sarasotadolphin.org/index.php>. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.dolphinsworld.com/how_are_dolphins_important_to_the_ecosystem. html>.

References The American Cetacean Society. 1990. They're Not Saved Yet, Proceedings of the Fourth Biennial Conference, Monterey, California. The American Cetacean Society, San Pedro, CA. Brownell, R. 1989. "The Plight of the Forgotten Whales," Oceanus, 32(1):5. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA. Center for Marine Conservation. 1990. Dolphins: Species in Critical Danger.Center for Marine Conservation, Washington, DC. Center for Marine Conservation. 1990. Threats Facing Dolphins in the 1990's. Center for Marine Conservation, Washington, DC. Donoghue, Michael and Anne Wheeler. 1989. Save the Dolphins. Sheridan House: NY. Faast, Susan, and Laura Urian. 1994. "What You Can Do to Save Dolphins...And the Environment We Share." Available from the Dolphin Research Center, 58901 Overseas Hwy, Grassy Key, FL 33050. Hofman, Robert J. 1989. "The Marine Mammal Act: A First of Its Kind Anywhere," Oceanus, 32(1):21. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA. May, John, ed. 1990. Greenpeace Book of Dolphins. Sterling: NY. National Research Council. 1992. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry. National Academy Press: Wachington DC. Norris, Kenneth. 1992. "Dolphins in Crisis," National Geographic, 182(3): 2-35. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Payne, Roger. 1990. "Threats to the Survival of Whales and Dolphins,"Animal Welfare Institute Quarterly, 39(2). Perrin, W.F. (compiled by). 1988. Dolphins, Porpoises, and Whales: An Action Plan for the Conservation of Biological Diversity: 1988-1992.Available from IUCN Publications Services, 219C Huntington Rd., Cambridge CB3 ODL, UK. THE CHALLENGE As humans we are one of the most advanced life forms on Earth at least in terms of the impact we have on our planet and those with whom we share it. We have a responsibility to consider our actions and to modify them when

necessary. Our planet is misrepresented by its title, Earth. Living on a planet with 75% of its surface under water, we might consider a more appropriate name, like " Planet Ocean"! Some of our planet's most beguiling creatures live in the ocean, including dolphins, porpoises, and whales. These animals are threatened by human action. In some cases these animals are killed indirectly, as in fishing nets. Some cultures slaughter dolphins and whales directly, hunting them for food, bait, or sport. By far the most serious threat to dolphins, porpoises and whalescomes in the form of pollution: both marine debris and invisible toxins we create every day. Cetaceans are intelligent, air breathing, highly evolved mammals with complex societies and systems of communication. Some species are curious about, and friendly towards, people, and we in turn are charmed by their beauty and grace. Yet careless and destructive practices and a lack of respect for our Planet Ocean may cause many species to disappear forever. It is not too late for humans to learn to live responsibly, allowing the continued survival of all creatures and the continued health of this planet. The task is great, but not insurmountable if we each consider the influence we have in our personal lives and how much we can accomplish together. Each one of us can make a difference if we are willing to take an active role. The plight of the dolphin is representative of the status of all life on our Ocean planet; humanity is part of that life. If we save the dolphins, we also are saving ourselves. THE POLLUTION PROBLEM Marine debris is anything from a discarded sandwich bag to a lost fishing net. Every ocean in the world is littered with some form of debris, which resembles food for marine life. Many animals accidentally eat marine debris causing internal injury, intestinal blockage, and starvation. Getting tangled up in floating debris is another serious and growing problem for marine mammals. Entanglement is an especially serious threat to young marine mammals that tend to be curious and careless. Once a young animal becomes entangled, it dies a slow and painful death as its growing body is restricted by debris. At least 43% of all marine mammal species and 44% of all seabird species become entangled in or ingest marine debris each year . Some of these include the most endangered marine species in U.S. waters: Hawaiian monk seals, hawksbill and green sea turtles, West Indian manatees, and right whales. Almost everything we use has the potential to become marine debris, from the bottle of milk in the refrigerator to the refrigerator itself. The largest source of marine debris is runoff from land-based sources, such as storm sewers and parking lots. That means that the garbage we create each day is most likely what will end up in the oceans affecting dolphins, whales, and other marine life.

Toxins enter the marine environment through land-based runoff and air pollution as well as ocean dumping. Things we use every day, like automobiles, air conditioners, and household products, create many toxins. Researchers routinely find high levels of toxins in the blubber of stranded marine mammals. For years we dumped heavy metals and organic pollutants into our oceans thinking it was a resource so vast it could absorb any and all materials. It now seems that the oceans are finally becoming saturated. The evidence is in the marine life itself. Fish, turtles, and, most recently, dolphins are now growing cancerous tumors. There is also evidence that pollution in our oceans is weakening the immune systems of marine mammals. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are linked to immune system suppression and reproductive failure, exist in extremely high levels in the blubber of dead dolphins and whales in many parts of the world. PCBs are a form of industrial waste now illegal in the United States, but they are still leaching into our waterways from landfills. With suppressed immune systems, dolphins may succumb to bacterial and viral infections they could otherwise fight off. Morbillivirus is the virus that causes distemper in dogs and measles in people. It is believed that dolphins become susceptible to morbillivirus because toxins in their environment compromise their immune systems. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology implicated morbillivirus infection as a primary factor in the deaths of more than 700 bottlenose dolphins along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast in 1987-1988, more than 17,000 harbor seals in the North Sea in 1988, and more than 1,000 striped dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea in 1990-1991. Researchers also discovered a strain of morbillivirus in bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. (There is no evidence that the strains of morbillivirus infecting marine mammals can infect people.)