How it all started
The group of dolphins we are privileged to have visit us at Tangalooma are inshore bottlenose dolphins which have a home range in the area of Tangalooma.
For many years these dolphins have come to the waters underneath the resort jetty to feed on the bait fish which are attracted by the jetty lights.
In April 1992, one of these dolphins, which we named "Beauty", began to eat fish that were thrown to her from the jetty. We suspect she was very hungry because she had a young calf (baby dolphin) still suckling milk from her. We call this calf "Tinkerbell".
In October 1994, "Beauty" gave birth to her third calf which we named "Shadow".
Since "Beauty" began to take fish from us, other dolphins in her pod (group) have joined the nightly feeding. We now have between eight and ten dolphins attending the feeding sessions.
If you spend a little time looking carefully at each of the dolphins you will notice that they are all a little different from one another. You may learn to recognise each of them by their size, colour (some lighter, some darker) and in particular the shape of their dorsal fin. So spend some time up on the jetty and see if you can recognise which dolphin is which.
Dolphin Research
Tangalooma Resort assists researchers from the University of Queensland and other Universities worldwide to study the dolphins in Moreton Bay, including the dolphins that visit Tangalooma.
These studies are helping us to increase our understanding of wild dolphin behaviour and their biology.
You may see these researchers observing the dolphins during the feeding sessions, you could also be asked to help with this research by completing questionnaires.
Your interest in this research is welcome and any assistance you can give is much appreciated.
