Tuesday, November 16, 2010

It's fall on Nantucket

Which means I finally have time to do some blog updates......

this week we have some common dolphins who have wandered into the harbor perhaps as a result of last week's storm. Our area stranding team under the direct guidance and oversight of the new England Aquarium is monitoring their behavior from afar. Please do not attempt to go find or bother these animals while they attempt to figure out how to get back out into their normal habitat.


more about Common dolphins which do strand here (in fact one did last February here at the Nantucket Field Station- pictures tomorrow)


COMMON DOLPHIN (Delphinus delphis)
Physical Characteristics:
Hourglass pattern on side  Yellowish patch in front  Black stripe from lower jaw to front flipper
and from eye to base of melon  Dorsal fin tall & pointed  Prominent beak
Size:
Adult: Length up to 8 ft. (250 cm)/ Weight up to 300 lb 
         Juvenile: Length 5 – 6.5 ft. (150-200 cm)/ Weight up to 175 lb
Behavior:
Residents of New England year round  Extremely social, found in schools of 50-1000 
Found mostly offshore, infrequently near shore  Common in mass strandings


an article I wrote last year regarding dolphins and The Cove:
http://www.yesterdaysisland.com/archives/science/8.php


a video posted on Plum from a common dolphin stranding in the Hither Creek/Madaket harbor area a couple of years ago:
www.plumtv.com/videos/nantucket-dolphins-stranded-madaket-harbor/index.html

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