April 23 - Dolphins Are Different...

Dolphins are different... Different from us and from one another! Here's an example: the tagged Franciscana dolphins have stayed in or VERY close to the mouth of the bay the entire time. I study Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and as a species, they show far more variation in the way they behave depending on whether they live close or far from shore---to the point that some taxonomy folks wonder if there might be subspecies or two different species (but I'll leave that debate to those who specialize in taxonomy).

But with the coastal/estuarine species like the Franciscanas, we do not yet know much about the inshore/offshore distribution. Data from Franciscana dolphins caught in fishing nets suggest that adult males may be found further offshore than mothers with calves. This is consistent with our three years of tagging experience, in which we have caught mostly adult females and juvenile males - no adult males - in the shallow inshore waters.

April 19, 2007

Here is today's map. From left to right: Yaana and Roberto are in the same area, with Lea farther to the northeast.

Apri 18, 2007

The dolphins are: Lea (westernmost), Yaana (southernmost), and Roberto (farthest to the northeast).

April 17 - No sightings yet...

Pablo Bordino has been in San Blas for several days, but the weather has been too poor to sight franciscanas. But if he sends any good images, I'll make sure we post them on the blog.

April 16 - Where do dolphin names come from, anyway?

If you have been following this blog, you might be wondering how a Franciscan dolphin minding their own business off the Patagonian coast of Argentina would suddenly get a name like Lea or Yaana... Fair question!

The Argentine members of the team give names to the dolphins, as a convenient way of distinguishing between the individuals being tracked. The inspiration behind the names ranges from something that would identify the animal with the region, or to honor people of importance to the project.

• "Yaana" (pronounced shaana), the name of the first dolphin tagged, is the Tehuelche word for mother. The Tehuelche tribe was one of the local native tribes in this region of Patagonia.
  
  
• "Roberto" was named after a highly respected member of the San Blas Prefectura (the Coast Guard) who died in 2005, about the same time we tagged our first franciscanas in Bahia Samborombon. Roberto was a close friend of several team members, and the Prefectura in San Blas provided housing for the team, a boat, and crew for the project this year.
  
  
• "Lea" was named after team member Leo Berninsone. Leo participated as an intern with our research program in Florida in 2006. He was seriously injured from a gear failure on the catch boat during the capture of Roberto and Lea on the last day, but is expected to make a full recovery.
  
  
• "Marta" was named after Martha Wells, someone who has played a major role in encouraging and providing support for the project since its inception in 2003, but who was unable to join the team this year due to other obligations.

Now you know our cetacean sensations!