G'day folks, Have you heard of "alliances of alliances" in wild animals? What about "sponging", "shelling" or "kerplunking"? Do you know if dolphins possess material culture? The Shark Bay Dolphin Research Alliance encompasses the Dolphin Alliance Project and the Dolphin Innovation Project, and we're very pleased to (somewhat belatedly) let you know that our new website is finally online: http://www.sharkbaydolphins.org<http://www.sharkbaydolphins.org/> Here is an excerpt from the home page (our ‘abstract’ of sorts): The famous dolphins of Shark Bay, Western Australia, have been studied in great detail since the early 1980s. Over 30 years of scientific research into one of our planet’s most fascinating populations of wild animals has provided insight into their behaviour, genetics and ecology, including the daily challenges they face to find mates and food, and to avoid predators. Vast seagrass meadows in Shark Bay provide forage for turtles and dugongs, and nursery areas for fish; shallow sand flats and mangrove patches are home to countless invertebrates, rays and small sharks; deeper channels support sponge gardens and rocky reefs, providing habitat and hunting grounds for sea snakes, large sharks and, of course, dolphins. With this myriad of niches to exploit, but so much competition for food and mating opportunities, we find a population of dolphins with incredibly complex social lives and an intriguing repertoire of foraging specialisations, including tool use. Please visit the site to see more, and continue to do so to stay abreast of our research. Best regards, Simon Allen, Richard Connor and Michael Krützen P.S. For the artists/design nerds, our logos embody the colours and the shapes of Shark Bay, dolphin behaviour, sponges, shells, the double helix, and a chart of our study sites in the two gulfs, as well as some important data points (for the eagle-eyed). This is all reflected in a way that pays homage to the original custodians of “Gutharraguda” (or “two bays”), the Malgana people. This deft design was by http://www.wolfdesignltd.co.uk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simon Allen, PhD Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University 90 South St, Murdoch Western Australia 6150 Mob: (61-0) 416 083 653 Email: s.allen@murdoch.edu.au<applewebdata://006C211F-965E-4B11-879F-544A520C4A7B/s.allen@murdoch.edu.au> Web: http://www.sharkbaydolphins.org<http://www.sharkbaydolphins.org/> [cid:36CE4812-5407-4E19-BB7F-7DDBB4AEBBE9] Latest paper: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/3kKaKmus6dBgUj28dfG4/full
