A recent paper published in the Journal of Ecology reports movements of nine individual dolphins observed across three different study areas and photoidentified up to 265 km apart.
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Image: Location of the three study areas in Greece, and movements by nine bottlenose dolphins. From Bearzi et al. 2010.
Bearzi G., Bonizzoni S., Gonzalvo J. 2010. Mid-distance movements of common bottlenose dolphins in the coastal waters of Greece. Journal of Ethology. DOI: 10.1007/s10164-010-0245-x
ABSTRACT: While bottlenose dolphins in Mediterranean waters often display a high level of site fidelity, movements across distant areas can occur. Such movements have important implications in terms of population viability, particularly in basins with low bottlenose dolphin densities. We report movements of nine individuals photoidentified up to 265 km apart in western Greece. Four showed a certain degree of site fidelity to one area across several years, but were also found elsewhere, with two individuals moving between two areas. This study provides further evidence that animals appearing to be ‘resident’ within a given area can temporarily leave and range widely.
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