Study Shows Dolphins Prefer Loud Prey

(I-TravelNewswire.Com, May 08, 2013 ) Orlando, FL -- New analysis of dolphin excrement has confirmed that dolphins enjoy the eating of noisy prey. While that may come as a shock to some that they would have a preference, surely others are confused on whether or not its true fish even make a sound: They do.

The study was published in the Royal Society of Biology Letters, and has now officially backed the theory that has been kicked around for some time.

Perth marine biologist Dr. Glenn Dunshea noted that the analysis utilized to find the results was not the normal process. He noted that it had to be an alternative method as "scooping it out of the water is pretty tricky". Instead, Dunshea was lucky to find a population of dolphins in Florida that are normally reigned in for health assessments as part of another conservation programs efforts.

"During that process they defecate and so you can collect it," he says. "I was the only guy there who was excited when the dolphins pooed on the deck of the boat."

Dunshea stated that the gastric juices pulled from 20 dolphins was found through a process known as “molecular pretty detection” in order to find out what they were consuming. "Every species have DNA that's unique to that species," says Dunshea, who analysed mitochondrial DNA for his study.

In a Tasmania laboratory, Dunshea extracted the DNA samples from collections to test the hypothesis, which was first put forth by Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

"These particular animals seem to have a quite a high proportion of fish in their diet that actually make sound," says Dunshea. "They actually kind of grunt."

"The dolphins don't use their sonar to find the fish, they are actually quiet, and listen for noises that are being made by the fish and they use that as cue to hunt down their prey."

Dunshea made a note that the pin fish, was the most common prey, as it was most prevalent in the area the dolphins were in. The relative amounts of more noisy fish were disproportionately eaten as compared to how prevalent they were in the area. This pointed to an interest in eating the fish, when given a choice. As Dunshea put it, it was apparent there was deliberate selection in the noisy species.

About FloridaDolphinTours.com

Florida Dolphin Tours (http://floridadolphintours.com) provides information on how visitors can sign up to enjoy a planned trip to engage with one of the worlds most beloved creates, the dolphin. Learn how fun and affordable a swim with dolphins orlando and kennedy space center tours can be for you and your family.

Florida Dolphin Tours

Customer Service

(407) 352-4646

reservations@floridadolphintours.com

Source: EmailWire.Com