Dauphin Island Sea Lab: New Research Examines Dolphin Diets In A Changing Environment

Press release from the Estuarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab:

Proportional contributions of prey groups to live-captured
common bottlenose dolphin diets from
2018 health assessments. Click for a larger image.

September 13, 2021

Stable isotopes act as natural tracers. Since we are what we eat, researchers can determine how much of each prey type a dolphin eats based on stable isotope values of the dolphins and their prey. The research team also attached GPS satellite tags to several dolphins to monitor habitat use at Barataria Bay and Dauphin Island. 

“Interaction of dietary and habitat niche breadth influences cetacean vulnerability to environmental disturbance”

This press release was produced by the Estuarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The views expressed here are the author’s own.