Shark Bay Dolphin Research
Monkey Mia – Useless Loop | Western Australia
The famous dolphins of Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Western Australia, have been studied by international researchers since the 1980s.
The Project was founded by Drs. Richard Connor and Rachel Smolker.
Four decades of research into one of the world’s most iconic and fascinating animal populations have provided insight into their behaviour, social structure, genetics, culture, communication and ecology
Shark Bay is a busy place for a dolphin, packed with friends and foes. Vast seagrass meadows provide forage for turtles and dugongs, and a nursery for fish; shallow sand flats and mangroves are home to invertebrates, rays and small sharks; deeper channels provide hunting grounds for sea snakes, tiger sharks and tool-using dolphins!
With this myriad of niches to exploit, we find a population of dolphins with incredibly rich social lives and an intriguing repertoire of culturally transmitted foraging innovations that involve tool use. Alas, this globally unique ecosystem is vulnerable to pressures linked to climate breakdown… With warming seas and more frequent extreme weather events, will these remarkable animals be able to adapt?
Contact
Prof. Dr. Michael Krützen
University of Zurich