Educational Briefing Flashcards
DPMMR mission
connect to protect: through various ways, Meaningful guest interactions, education, research, and rescue/response.
DPMMR establishment year
2018
Proceeds go where?
non profit = proceeds go right back into education, research, and rescue
research
- projects in acoustics, behavior, cognition, and medical
- over 40 projects currently
- publish/share with international community
habitat
- Atlantic Ocean, incorporate that here as a natural seawater facility
- natural enrichment provided by natural ocean water system (sponges, plants, crustaceans)
- tidal changes due to gates
- seasonal water temp changes that promotes natural behavioral, physiological, and dietary fluctuations (50-95 degrees)
Jack
11 year old blue and gold macaw
type of dolphins
atlantic bottlenose
total number of ambassador dolphins
6
Dinghy
- mid 40s (approx 45)
- mom of BB and Tug
BB (Baby Bit)
- 11
- female
- daughter of little bit and dinghy
Tug
- 6
- boy
- son of Alfonz and Dinghy
alfonz
- 1st dolphin born at DPMMR
- 28
- son of Fonzie and genie
Bob
27, son of Jessica and little bit
Jessica
- matriarch
- early 40s (approx 43)
- bob’s mother
benefits of zoos and aquariums
- 700 million visitors per year
- prevents disruption of fragile ecosystems
- provides education and research opportunities
seafood watch app
- part of Monterey bay aquarium
- free app designed to offer recommendation of which species to eat that are sustainably harvested
conservation threat and solution (1)
entanglement - good fishing practices (e.g. proper disposal of all nets and fishing lines/hooks)
conservation threat and solution (2)
pollution (you can see; e.g. plastic, garbage, eat.) - reduce, reuse, and recycle/beach clean ups
5 characteristics of mammals
1) breath air
2) warm blooded
3) live birth
4) nurse young
5) have hair
dolphin teeth
- one set for their whole life
- 80-100 cone shaped teeth
- can tell age using teeth rings (like a tree)
- dont use teeth to chew, simply to grab prey then swallow it whole
dolphin tongue
- Have fringes on the sides when they are calves to create a watertight funnel when nursing
- No taste buds, no taste
sleep
- rest one hemisphere at a time (can know which half because the opposite eye will be closed)
- require less sleep than terrestrial mammals (low metabolic rate)
- log to sleep
melon
- Fatty tissues and fluid in the forehead
- used to help direct sound during echolocation
echolocation
- Emit a series of fast paced clicks that bounce off the object
- returns back as an echo that travels through their lower jaw bone, inner ear, and into their brain to create a picture
- produces an image in their brain that tells them the shape and density of the object (ex. They can distinguish between a golf ball and a ping pong ball a football field length away)
eyes
- on either side of their head
- 20/20 vision above and below water
- have only one type of cone = suggests ability to filter out blue
- 173 degree vision (3 blind spots directly above, below and behind)
- monoscopic = independently process 2 images at a time
- stereoscopic = process one image using both eyes
blowhole
- all vocals produced through blowhole
- muscles around it manipulate noise
- voluntary breathers (up to 10 min breath hold)
ears/hearing
- pinhole
- directional hearing like humans
- 7.5x greater hearing range than us
pectoral flippers
- stop/steer
- bone (similar bone structure to human hand)
dorsal fin
- made of cartilage
- used for stability like keel of sailboat
- allows for thermoregulation
- used for ID (like a finger print) = vary in shape, size, thickness, and notches
- over 300 animals ID in our current ID project here in the keys
belly button
have one; mammalian birth characteristic
male ID
! (genital slit and anus)
Female ID
division sign (genitals and anus with mammary glands on each side)
Sexual Maturity
males: 8-13 years
females: 5-10 years
mating
dont mate for life (fission-fusion society)
peduncle
- very strong muscle that powers movement
- moves dorsoventrally (up and down) with no recovery phase
- swim up to 20 MPH (Michael phelps only 3 MPH)
flukes
left and right together make the flukes; made of cartilage
Rule 1: have fun
- unique experience to interact with these animals so enjoy it
- please let us know if there’s annoy accommodations you need
Rule 2: listen to your trainer
- they will talk to you the entire time your in the water
- please do not reach out to or touch the animals unless explicitly told to do so by a trainer
- Everything we ask the animals is voluntary
- therefore, we ask animals if they are okay with be touched = respect animal choice by not touching them until they make the decision to be touched
- Animals allowed to make their own choices = may approach or even touch you on their own BUT please don’t reciprocate if they do
Rule 3: water entry
enter water carefully and calmly (this is their home and we want to respect that)
Session info 1: based on number of behaviors not time
- All guests regardless of party size will do the same number of behaviors and same types
- Smaller groups may not be in the water as long as larger ones BUT all groups will have the same overall experience
- Because the dolphins have no set time schedule, they can do whatever they want and it will not hinder your program -> We simply pause the program and resume when the animal decides to return
- Please let us know if you need us to speak slower for translating as we can accommodate that request
session info 2: choice and variability
- Programs may appear different between groups or even within your own group
- Ask dolphins to participate voluntarily → if there behaviors they don’t want to do, we will substitute it for a similar one
- May also ask different behaviors to give the animals variability
- Ultimately all guests will do the same amount of behaviors and similar kinds
session info 3: some behaviors you MAY get to do
Rubs
- Only use a flat hand, no scratching, slow and gentle
Superhero
- Dolphin pushes your feet and propels you forward
- To do so: keep feet at the surface of the water, lock knees, no kicking!
Dorsal tow
- To do so: stand in water with feet straight down, arm straight out like a T, thumbs facing down, hold onto the fin at the base
Belly ride
- To do so: stand up in the water with hands flat on surface of the water in front of you → dolphin will pop up with their belly facing you → hold onto pectoral flippers and lean forward
Pole jump
- To do so: people stand on opposite ends of the pole, hold onto the taped ends, stay parallel to the docks, keep the pole on the surface of the water
Photographer/photos
we will have a photographer taking pictures of you during the session for you to purchase after
- no phones allowed on dock
- cannot hold a camera in the water
- underwater cameras can be used if they have a head or chest strap
Observers
- anyone observing the session must stay behind the blue ropes up on the top deck
- observers are not allowed down on the docks with us (unless for translating)
Belongings
- leave all belongings in the briefing room
- leave shoes on (we will take them off on the dock)
- you can wear jewelry, hats, and glasses (however if they fall off we cannot guarantee we will be able to retrieve them)
Post program (Vests/showers/restrooms)
- vests and wetsuits should be zipped up and returned to the vest slot under the briefing hut
- showers/restrooms at the end of the sidewalk
- feel free to stay and enjoy the animals after the program (stay behind the blue ropes and do not make hand signals to them or hold cameras over the ropes)
