DNA reveals the secrets of Ireland’s solitary social dolphins

Listening in on dolphins reveals acoustic clues to food and friendship

For dolphins living along Florida’s Atlantic coast, the ocean is far more than a physical landscape. It is an acoustic environment shaped by whistles, echolocation clicks, fish calls, waves, currents and the increasingly persistent noise of ships. By listening to that underwater soundscape, researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have identified distinct […]

DNA reveals the secrets of Ireland’s solitary social dolphins

A recent paper published in Ecology and Evolution sought to expand current knowledge of bottlenose dolphin genetics in Ireland by examining individuals that had either stranded along the coast or been sampled while alive at sea. The study also focused on several well-known solitary dolphins, including the most famous of all – Fungie, the Dingle dolphin. DNA samples were collected from several solitary individuals: *Nick, Finn, Dusty, Nimmo and F…