Behavior Patterns of Bottlenose Dolphins in San Luis Pass, Texas

Patterns of seasonal occurrence, distribution, and site fidelity of coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in southern New Jersey, U.S.A.

“…In addition to the seasonal preference for use of New Jersey waters, bottlenose dolphins were more prevalent closer to shore within the 2 km strip surveyed. With the gradual slope of the bathymetry, the average depth of sightings was relatively shallow (3.4 m ± 2.89), similar to coastal studies off Florida (Shane 1990, ∼4 m) and Texas (Henderson 2004, ∼3 m). However, other coastal studies off California (Defran and Weller 1999, ∼30 m), Argentina (Würsig and Würsig 1979, ∼10 m), and South Africa (Ross et al 1987, Ross and Cockcroft 1990, ∼15–30 m) report bottlenose dolphins occurring in much deeper waters.…”

The behavioral context of common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) vocalizations

“…There were six behavioral states recorded: slow, moderate, or fast travel, mill/rest, forage, and social/surface active (see Table 1 for behavior descriptions); these could also be recorded simultaneously if the group as a whole was doing more than one behavior at a time, or if portions of the group were doing different behaviors (Shane 1990, Hanson and Defran 1993, Henderson and Würsig 2007). The primary behavior was defined as the ongoing behavior or the most prevalent behavior of the group.…”

Abundance and Occurrence of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Three Estuaries of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

“…Other research conducted in central and southern areas of the Texas coast (e.g., Matagorda Bay and Corpus Christi Bay areas) indicate an increase in winter populations using the Gulf passes and deep shipping channels (Shane 1980, Gruber 1981. Maze and Würsig (1999) found no seasonal occurrence pattern for West Bay, but like Irwin and Würsig (2004) and Henderson and Würsig (2007), noted a tendency for higher resident density in the Gulf during cold months and in the bay during warm months. Researchers focused on the northeast end of Galveston Island suggested an increase in abundance between late spring and early fall (reviewed in Fertl (1994) and Maze and Würsig (1999)), which temporally overlaps with our summer Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake surveys.…”

“…Our West Bay surveys were conducted with one research vessel in December 2014 and June 2015. Previous studies identified the southwestern end of West Bay as the area most likely inhabited by bottlenose dolphins (Maze and Würsig 1999, Irwin and Würsig 2004, Henderson and Würsig 2007; however, we included the entirety of West Bay for a geographically comprehensive assessment. Survey transects across the middle of the bay were separated by about 3 km, with a single line or loop in the adjacent bay areas and connecting water ways.…”