Photo: Linda Searle
Dolphin Research
Fresco of Dolphins, ca. 1600 BC, from Knossos, Crete. Wikipedia
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There are several common species of dolphins in Belize:
Dolphins are intelligent animals and have characteristics displayed by humans including the ability to teach, learn, cooperate, scheme, and grieve. |
Dolphins have been valued over the centuries for enjoyment, consumption and deployment. Passengers on boats and scuba divers are thrilled when dolphins are encountered at sea.
Tour operators specifically seek out dolphins while enroute to a destination. The importance of dolphins to the tourism industry in Belize has not yet been valued, but dolphin watching is an important industry for other coastal cities in tourism destinations around the globe.
Seeing dolphins is thought to be a good omen by early Greeks. In comparison, in Japan and the Faroe Islands, dolphins are part of the local people's diet. Military departments of several governments also train dolphins to conduct underwater missions.
Tour operators specifically seek out dolphins while enroute to a destination. The importance of dolphins to the tourism industry in Belize has not yet been valued, but dolphin watching is an important industry for other coastal cities in tourism destinations around the globe.
Seeing dolphins is thought to be a good omen by early Greeks. In comparison, in Japan and the Faroe Islands, dolphins are part of the local people's diet. Military departments of several governments also train dolphins to conduct underwater missions.
In Belize the Oceanic Society is the foremast organization that has focused on studying the behavior of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins starting in the 1990s at the Drowned Cayes off Belize City and at Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve. Through the work of the last Dolphin Researcher employed by the Oceanic Society in Belize, Dr Eric Angel Ramos, this important research was expanded to Chetumal Bay, St George's Caye and Port Honduras Marine Reserve. Through his innovative research, Dr Ramos, was also able to study the behavior of manatees. His research and passion for marine conservation launched our marine mammals studies at the St George's Caye Field Station, and throughout Belize under the Belize Barrier Reef Watch Program.
Eric Angel Ramos graduated with a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior and Comparative Psychology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Eric has worked as a field scientist leading research trips with students and volunteers to study the behavior of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) at Turneffe Atoll in Belize as a member of Dr. Diana Reiss’ Lab at Hunter College and a field scientist for Oceanic Society since 2011.
During his Master’s Thesis research at Hunter College, Eric investigated the use of foraging-related calls by the small population of bottlenose dolphins at Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve (TAMR) in Belize, providing the first report of this acoustic call in dolphins and demonstrated its contextual use during bottom foraging by a subset of the population.
In 2016 Eric and his colleagues authored a review of the aquatic mammals of Belize that was accepted for publication to the journal Aquatic Mammals. They provided the first systematic review of aquatic mammals in the region and verified the occurrence of 17 aquatic mammal species in Belizean waters, reporting numerous species for the first time in the Western Caribbean.
For his dissertation Eric investigated the impacts of vessel activity on the behavior and fitness of marine mammal populations in Belize using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones. His research interests include the behavioral ecology, communication, and conservation of marine mammals throughout the Western Caribbean.
During his Master’s Thesis research at Hunter College, Eric investigated the use of foraging-related calls by the small population of bottlenose dolphins at Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve (TAMR) in Belize, providing the first report of this acoustic call in dolphins and demonstrated its contextual use during bottom foraging by a subset of the population.
In 2016 Eric and his colleagues authored a review of the aquatic mammals of Belize that was accepted for publication to the journal Aquatic Mammals. They provided the first systematic review of aquatic mammals in the region and verified the occurrence of 17 aquatic mammal species in Belizean waters, reporting numerous species for the first time in the Western Caribbean.
For his dissertation Eric investigated the impacts of vessel activity on the behavior and fitness of marine mammal populations in Belize using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones. His research interests include the behavioral ecology, communication, and conservation of marine mammals throughout the Western Caribbean.
FOUNDING RESEARCHER: DR ERIC ANGEL RAMOS
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Eric explains, "These recordings were gathered during boat-based surveys at Turneffe Atoll. When animals were sighted from the boat, we carefully approached to take photo identification images of their dorsal fins, estimate group size, and conduct behavioral observations. We attached a GoPro HD Hero 3 camera to a pole and fixed it to the side of the boat so that it could swivel. One volunteer manually maneuvered the camera in the direction of the dolphins so we could opportunistically observe their behavior when they came near the boat." |
"Often times we find groups of dolphins clustered together tightly with their associates. Boats can elicit a variety of behaviors from these animals, and one of the more common behaviors we observe is that the animals approach the boat while producing loads of high-pitched whistles"
Eric Ramos
Eric Ramos
"Bottlenose dolphin "Pack" inspects our boat during research surveys in Turneffe Atoll, Belize"
Eric Ramos
Eric Ramos
"Socializing dolphins often encircle each other during sexual behavior, emitting series of buzzes and whistles as they prod each other with their beaks. In this clip the three active dolphins in the center of the frame are engaged in what is known as “goosing” or rostra-genital contact and “genital buzzing”, with streams of bubbles emitted after buzzes"
Eric Ramos
Eric Ramos
Links to dolphin research in Belize
Dolphin Research in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve by TIDE
Video Notes on Dolphin Behavior by the Oceanic Society
Dolphin Research in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve by TIDE
Video Notes on Dolphin Behavior by the Oceanic Society
