Hobbies And Interests
Dolphin Brain
The dolphin brain is large relative to its body size -- five times larger than the brains of similar-sized animals. The dolphin brain is also intricate. Emory University dolphin researcher Lori Marino performed MRI scans of dolphin brains and discovered that the neocortex, the area involved in higher functions, is more convoluted than that of humans. Marino says the scans reveal that dolphins experience "complex emotions." Many other researchers have reached the same conclusion while observing dolphins in the wild.
Wild Dolphin Project
The Wild Dolphin Project is a scientific research organization that studies wild Atlantic spotted dolphins inhabiting Bahamian waters. The goal is to investigate dolphin social structure, behavior and communication.. Research director Denise Herzing began the ongoing study in the mid-1980s. Herzing's team developed a system in which dolphins and humans communicate in the dolphins' habitat -- on the dolphins' terms. Researchers spent years earning the trust of particular pods of wild dolphins to reach the point at which the dolphins are receptive to participating in exercises intended to develop a common language between humans and dolphins. The language incorporates sounds that dolphins use to communicate with naturally. Herzing's process of attempting to establish a two-way communication with wild dolphins is the first of its kind in the wild.
The Dolphin Project
The goal of The Dolphin Project is to monitor and collect data about bottlenose dolphins and use that information to protect the species and educate the public about these mammals. The organization was launched in 1989 after numerous dolphins were found dead along the East Coast. Volunteers routinely conduct surveys of dolphins from South Carolina to Florida. The surveys involve dolphin counts and identifying and photographing individual dolphins in order to track their development in a non-invasive way.
Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project
Ric O'Barry is a former dolphin trainer, who worked with the five dolphins in Florida who played Flipper on the 1960s television show of the same name. O'Barry ended his career as a trainer and became a dolphin rights activist after one of the dolphins on the show died in his arms. In 1970 O'Barry founded the Ric O'Barry Dolphin Project. The organization seeks to end the capture and slaughter of dolphins around the world. O'Barry says that his organization has rescued and rehabilitated dolphins in more than 70 countries.