Belize Dolphin Studies
DS21 Update - Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Crocs and Dolphins
Experience after experience here in Belize continues to defy my beliefs in how amazing this trip could be. From marine mammals to six foot reptiles, the awesome sights, sounds and sensations just keep coming.
Late last night, Mia, Galen and Alejandro went on a crocodile survey. Searching for crocs is a tricky business. You board the boat just before sundown. One must wait for nightfall before beginning the search. You then use a spotlight to scan the shoreline of the mangroves, searching for a tiny reflection, the crocs “eye shine.” The boat then approaches the croc slowly, and quietly as possible. If the boat gets close enough without the croc bolting, Thomas, the croc researcher, snares the beast. The croc’s mouth is duct taped shut, and the animal is lifted into the boat. Measurements and photos are taken, the duct tape is removed, and the croc is released. Last night, a total of four crocodiles were caught.
This morning, we changed pace back to our main focus: dolphins. After breakfast at 7:30, Abbie gave us a presentation explaining how we will do our research paper on dolphin behavior. We then headed out on the boat to do a dolphin survey. Cooper took wind readings from the anemometer, Caleb took GPS readings. Josephine took salinity readings from the refractometer, Galen worked the surface camera, Mia operated the underwater camera, and Abbie did photo ID. We saw two sets of mother and calf dolphins, both of which seemed to show some curiosity towards the boat, and a variety of other interesting behaviors.
After a delicious lunch, we had a lecture on Bottlenose Dolphin biology and behavior. Once our minds had been packed full of new knowledge, we set out for a dive. While most of the group headed down below the waves, Sarah, Sammie, Cooper and I stayed on the surface, having a blast diving and doing flips off the boat, and listening to music through the boat’s speakers. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the sea, Natalie and Victoria were spotting a huge stingray, Alejandro was spotting a spotted eagle ray (ha-ha), and everyone was catching glimpses of moray eels.
As I write this, we are all resting in the common area of the field station, waiting for dinner. Some are studying and enjoying each other’s conversation, Chelsea, Sammie, Caleb, Sarah and Victoria are doing stretches, and Alejandro is deeply involved in a good book.
Life’s good.
-- Michael Weiss (aka MAAAchael)
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