Dear MARMAM readers, We are pleased to present our two recently published papers. · Themelin, M., & Dudzinski, K. M. (2025). Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) pair swimming positions in non-mother–calf dyads. Behaviour, 1–39. DOI:10.1163/1568539X-bja10333 In this paper, we explore the use of six pair swimming positions (PSP) in bottlenose dolphin dyads based on each partner’s sex and age. The patterns observed suggest each PSP could have different functions in dolphin social interactions. Themelin & Dudzinski (2025) is accessible here: https://brill.com/view/journals/beh/aop/article-10.1163-1568539X-bja10333/article-10.1163-1568539X-bja10333.xml The second article is in-press and is scheduled to appear in the May issue of Animal Behavior & Cognition · Dudzinski, KM, Themelin, M, Manitzas Hill, HM (2026) The Influence of Dolphin Offspring to a Social Group. Animal Behavior & Cognition, in press
We investigated whether presence of pre-weaned calves in a social group influenced activity level and engagement among group members, including but not limited to mother(s). When present, larger dolphin groups were observed with spacing among members dependent upon calf age; groups with younger calves exhibited tighter clusters whereas groups with older calves were loosely spaced. More diverse behaviors, inter-individual contacts, intensity of exchange(s), and number of individuals involved were documented for all groups with calves. These results support the notion that presence of one or more pre-weaned calves enhances the overall well-being and welfare of a dolphin social group. Please contact Dudzinski with questions or to read an in-press preprint. Join us on Monday Jan 26, 2026 @ 5:00 PM ET (NYC/Miami) for a webinar on the pair swimming position paper! DCP Deep Dive: Dolphin Pair Swimming Positions Talk: Dolphin pair swimming positions outside of the mother-calf dyad DCP’s researchers will share their last paper’s results, and more! You’ll learn that not only mother and calf use pair swimming positions (PSPs), but also males with other males or adults with adults. There are at least 6 PSPs that dolphins use in different contexts throughout their lives. Join live to hear more and ask questions! This Deep Dive is geared toward ages 14+, but all are welcome. The recording of this talk will be posted on DCP’s website, YouTube channel, and Vimeo. Live: Monday 26 January 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET (New York, Miami) Zoom Meeting ID: 826 6017 4980 *Password Required* Contact DCP ([email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>) Kind regards, Kathleen Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D. Director, Dolphin Communication Project [email protected] www.dolphincommunicationproject.org
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