Brittany Martabano

       I sit up in Nai’a’s tower with Katie McHugh, my skipper, on my final day working on her graduate research project studying juvenile dolphin behavior. Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, we continue our focal follow with Holly, an eight-year-old female, determined to collect as much data as possible before this fieldwork season comes to an end. We have Beaufort 3 to 4 seas with storms developing in nearly every direction, but fortunately Team Nai’a lives for the thrill of “narrowly escaping danger.”
       We watch Holly and another juvenile female, Petal, and two calves born to resident females at the beginning of my internship. I’ve learned from my experiences this summer that it is not uncommon for juvenile females to baby-sit other adults’ young. Yet, while babysitting has been observed, the interaction marked Katie’s first encounter with such intense socializing between juveniles and newborn calves (YOYs, or young-of-the-year). With us as captivated spectators, the dolphins squirm and whirl, exposing their excited, flushed bellies to dance around each other. We dub one of the behaviors a “YOY sandwich” as the juvenile females squish the little YOYs between them, bringing them out of the water and letting them rest on top of the juveniles.
       As I sit in the tower with Katie, I realize how lucky I am to witness this playful scene firsthand. Prior to interning with the SDRP, I had limited knowledge of wild dolphin behavior and even less research experience. Now, after spending the summer with Katie on Nai’a, not only can I identify our focal animal, but also the rest of the dolphins in the group, a skill that has proven helpful in keeping track of everyone in this particularly eventful follow. We continue to follow Holly and the others until the thrill of “narrowly escaping danger” becomes a little too real. We say goodbye to the playful group, head out of Palma Sola Bay, under the Cortez Bridge, navigate the ICW, and finally cruise down the center of Sarasota Bay to return home safe and sound leaving the growing storms behind us.
       The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has given me and countless others the opportunity to experience dolphin research in an intimate and personal setting. I admire the program’s vision for sharing cutting-edge research techniques and their willingness to provide people with limited experiences a chance to learn, observe, and absorb. I am eternally grateful to all of the fantastic, brilliant, and patient individuals with whom I had the opportunity to work and I hope to exemplify them as I pursue my own career in marine mammal science. As a student, a novice, and aspiring professional in the dolphin research arena, I extend this piece not only as a reflection of my rewarding summer, but also as a genuine thank-you to all the people who’ve made it so worthwhile.