Spring Break
OSU researchers study synchronized spinners
Research shows that spinner dolphins dance in synchronized pattern
Lauren Sigel
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: News
According to a recent study by a combined team of OSU and University of Hawaii researchers, the moves of Flipper the dolphin don't even compare with the synchronization of spinner dolphins.
The study, which was conducted off of the leeward - or downwind - coast of Oahu, was focused on following the hunting techniques of spinner dolphins.
The study was funded by The National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
Thanks to a technological advance in sonar technology, the combined research team was able to make some startling discoveries.
"This new multi-beam echo-sounder allowed us to do with biology what geologists have long taken for granted," said Kelly Benoit-Bird, an assistant professor of biological oceanography at OSU and the leader of the combined research team. "Of course, the biology moves quickly, which the seafloor does not, so that presented some challenges for analyzing the results."
According to the Wild Dolphin Foundation, spinner dolphins get their name from their ability to leap out of the water and make as many as seven complete spins before diving back into the ocean. They are about half the weight of bottle-nose dolphins and have high energy needs.
The results of the study showed that the synchronized hunting methods of spinner dolphins are much more advanced and complex than previously thought. They have a tendency to feed at night, so previous knowledge of spinner dolphins has been hard to discover.
An article featuring the study's results was published in "Ocean and Air," a magazine published by the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. The article said that "using precise coordination in strict patterns, the dolphins first swim in a line, pushing the fish forward like a snowplow. Then they circle the fish, and pairs of dolphins take turns feeding inside the circle … This cooperative foraging allows the dolphins to increase the density of the fish they eat by as much as 200 times."
The study, which was conducted off of the leeward - or downwind - coast of Oahu, was focused on following the hunting techniques of spinner dolphins.
The study was funded by The National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
Thanks to a technological advance in sonar technology, the combined research team was able to make some startling discoveries.
"This new multi-beam echo-sounder allowed us to do with biology what geologists have long taken for granted," said Kelly Benoit-Bird, an assistant professor of biological oceanography at OSU and the leader of the combined research team. "Of course, the biology moves quickly, which the seafloor does not, so that presented some challenges for analyzing the results."
According to the Wild Dolphin Foundation, spinner dolphins get their name from their ability to leap out of the water and make as many as seven complete spins before diving back into the ocean. They are about half the weight of bottle-nose dolphins and have high energy needs.
The results of the study showed that the synchronized hunting methods of spinner dolphins are much more advanced and complex than previously thought. They have a tendency to feed at night, so previous knowledge of spinner dolphins has been hard to discover.
An article featuring the study's results was published in "Ocean and Air," a magazine published by the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. The article said that "using precise coordination in strict patterns, the dolphins first swim in a line, pushing the fish forward like a snowplow. Then they circle the fish, and pairs of dolphins take turns feeding inside the circle … This cooperative foraging allows the dolphins to increase the density of the fish they eat by as much as 200 times."
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