Fins for Fingerprints
If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, you may have noticed that we often mention dolphins by name. Have you ever wondered how we can tell which dolphin is which? Today, we’re going to give you a crash course…
What Is a UME?
Although the acronym “UME” sounds rather benign like it could be a new term of technical jargon, it really refers to something very sad. UME stands for “Unusual Mortality Event.” As defined by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a UME…
Three-Letter Words
This blog piece is part of a new GDEP series, Back to Basics. In Back to Basics we will explore topics that you probably learned about at some point. Maybe it’s been a while and you’ve forgotten, or maybe you’d…
Photo credit: GDEP/John Schacke
Soda Tops & Porpoise POPs
Marine mammal population health has been in the news a lot lately. Perhaps you heard that marine scientists didn’t see a single baby Atlantic Right Whale during the 2018 calving season. Or maybe you’re aware of the dwindling population of Vaquitas in the Gulf…
Photo Credit: Michael Dawes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tk_five_0/show/
Gone (Ethical) Whale Watching
This blog post is written by Cassidy Lord. Dolphins are cute, right? So cute you could jump right in with them? Give them a big hug and maybe a snack for the road? Well...don’t. Human interactions with marine mammals are…
Do You Hear What I Hear?
This blog article was written by a guest writer, Jessica Wenclawiak. On March 15, 2000, scientists Ken Balcomb and Diane Claridge walked along the beach in the North Bahamas and quickly became involved in a disturbing event: 17 marine animals,…
Rescue crew helps stranded dolphins. Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Sick and Stranded: The Story of Cetacean Morbillivirus
Do dolphins get measles? Not exactly, but the disease that’s been ravaging whale and dolphin populations worldwide, called cetacean morbillivirus (CMV), is in the same family of viruses (Paramyxoviridae) that causes measles in humans. Morbillivirus has strains that affect non-cetacean…
When Dolphins Speak
GDEP team member, Talia Levine, recently had an article published in Georgia Health News. Her article, featured below, explores shared wildlife and human health risks surrounding a Superfund site on the Georgia coast. When pollutants escape into our waters, the…
Chill Out, Hot Stuff!
Dogs pant, lizards bask in the sun, polar bears have a thick coat of translucent fur and humans sweat. All of these are different strategies used to regulate body temperature. Thermoregulation is the process that the panting dog, the basking…