Dolphins Follow Police Marine Patrol Boat In Sarasota Waters: Watch

SARASOTA, FL — Marine patrol officers from the Sarasota Police Department had some followers while patrolling local waters over the Easter holiday weekend — a pod of dolphins.

Video recorded by Officers Dixon and Skinners showed the dolphins following their boat on Sunday near North Lido Beach as they approached New Pass, according to a Facebook post by the agency. (Watch a video of the dolphins tagging along with the officers below.)

Several dolphin species can be found in Florida’s coastal waterways, the most common being the bottle-nosed dolphin, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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Inshore dolphins tend to have smaller social groups of about 10, while offshore dolphins form larger groups ranging from 10 to 100. They tend to travel their home ranges in groups of four to seven dolphins in shallower waters and more than 20 in deeper areas, FWC said.

About 150 identifiable dolphins can be regularly found in Sarasota Bay, according to the University of South Florida.

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, launched by Mote Marine Laboratory in 1970, monitors the local dolphins and their activity.

Watch the dolphins follow Sarasota police marine patrol officers in the video below: