Name-A-Dolphin!

ID#094 is the female offspring of White Blotch (#29). ID#094, affectionately called, "Little Dot," has the distinction of being the wild Bimini dolphin whose birthday is almost known. We observed her mother pregnant in July 2004. Less than 3 weeks later, we saw #094! Of course, we could not add #094 to our photo-ID catalog until she developed her first spots. Thankfully, she has stayed close with her mother for quite some time - they were still observed together in the summer of 2010, even though #094 was six years old! As with all of the Bimini dolphins, we look forward to #094's continued spot development - and one day the birth of her own calf!

Now that you know a bit more about #094, what name do you think suits her best? The cost to give a name to #094 - a rare and unique opportunity - is $750. If you've got a name in mind, you can purchase your name-a-dolphin kit today! After you make your purchase (using PayPal) we will contact you for more information about the name you've chosen.

Head here to place your order:
http://www.dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88867&Itemid=167

This juvenile male was first seen in 2004 and was already independent from his mom. He was seen again in both 2005 and 2006, often in the company of Finn (#09) and Split Jaw (#22). At first, he was recognized by the large spot on his belly, so researchers really appreciated it when he rolled over! He's an active, healthy dolphin who seems mildly curious about humans, and very interested in playing with his dolphin friends. He is beginning to develop more dark spots on his body. DCP researchers enjoyed seeing all of his new spots in 2007 and 2008! We wonder what he'll look like in 2009!

ID#078 is now officially called, "Speedy!" You can learn all about Speedy at our Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin page:
http://www.dolphincommunicationproject.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1525&Itemid=100106

This mature female dolphin (assigned the number 086) was named "Joanne" in 2010 by Pierre-Yves Binz in 2010 for Joanne von Beust. Dolphin Joanne is generally quite calm, but approaches the boat enthusiastically in order to bow ride. Under water, she's been known to approach the camera quite closely; perhaps she is as curious about us as we are about her! She presented us with a bit of a puzzle when we initially attempted to confirm her ID. We first identified #086 while she was riding the bow of the boat she was easily distinguished by a strange area behind her blowhole with virtually no spot development. In subsequent research trips, we observed under water what we thought was a different dolphin, sporting a very interesting spot pattern below her right eye (you can see this peculiar pattern in the below image). This “pinwheel” pattern is likely the result of a puncture wound. It took us some time to realize that the dolphin with the strange spot development behind her blowhole and the pinwheel dolphin were in fact the same animal! Now that we know, we enjoy seeing her even more! We look forward to observing her and her calves for many years to come!

Now that you know all about Joanne, you can adopt her at www.adoptawilddolphin.com, follow her on Facebook (she has her very own page, you know) and sport her image by purchasing cool stuff from her Cafe Press store: www.cafepress.com/dolphinjoanne.

-Personal welcome letter

-A certificate of naming

-A photo of your named dolphin suitable for framing

-A photo collage of your named dolphin

-A biography of your named dolphin

-A DVD with unique footage of the dolphin you have name

-A dolphin DVD with footage of the Bimini dolphin group

-A personalized adoption t-shirt showcasing an image of your named dolphin

-Atlantic spotted dolphins fact sheet

-Information about DCP and our research around Bimini

-Dolphins: The Lighter Side DVD

-A copy of the book Dolphin Mysteries, signed by Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski

-Dolphin Communication Project note cards and/or postcards (packet of 10)

-10% discount on DCP eco-tour (valid for 2 years)

-An electronic subscription to the Dolphin Gazette, DCP's quarterly newsletter