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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA...
Long-finned pilot whale

Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the...

Study reveals dolphins like to hang out with friends

A new study has shed more light on the social networks that dolphins form. Researchers observing a group of dolphins in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon have found that dolphins, just like us, hang out with friends in ‘gangs’:

The six year study revealed that the dolphins would mix with ‘friends’ in specific areas of the lagoon and would also avoid individuals they don’t like. Experts found that the shape and geography of the 156 mile long lagoon on the Atlantic Coast of Florida seemed to influence the social dynamics of the group too. Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb, one of the research biologist involved in the study explained that those groups of dolphins that occupy the narrowest stretches of the lagoon have the most compact social networks, similar to humans who live in small towns and have fewer people with whom to interact.

It’s hoped study could shed light on how dolphin social networks transfer information, breeding behaviour and even diseases.

Dolphins like to hang out in groups