G¹day folks, We¹re pleased to announce the publication (online at this stage) of the following research note: ---------- Allen, SJ, Bejder, L & Krützen, M 2010. Why do Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) carry conch shells (Turbinella sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia? Marine Mammal Science DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00409.x Summary: Bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay exhibit a remarkable array of foraging tactics within a single population. Those described in some detail include: ³kerplunking,² whereby dolphins scare fish out from vegetative cover with a percussive, bubble forming tail slap in shallow waters; ³beaching,² involving intentional stranding on beaches in the pursuit of fish; and, ³sponging,² in which dolphins use marine sponges as protective shields over their rostra when foraging in the benthos. Here, we add a new behavior to this extensive list referred to as ³conching.² Over the last 13 yr, researchers in disparate locations in Shark Bay have observed individual dolphins lifting sizeable conch shells out of the water. The conches are lifted by the action of the dolphin¹s rostrum inserted into the shell¹s aperture. Determining the function of this unusual behavior has been difficult, largely due to its infrequent occurrence and the relatively fleeting glimpses obtained when it has occurred. Functional hypotheses include feeding on the flesh of the living conch mollusk, play behavior, and use of the conch as a socio-sexual display item. During surveys in the Western Gulf of Shark Bay, we obtained a photographic sequence that revealed the function of the conch-carrying behavior. ---------- Please drop one of us a line should you wish to peruse the PDF. Kind regards, Simon, Lars & Michael (s.allen@murdoch.edu.au; l.bejder@murdoch.edu.au; michael.kruetzen@aim.uzh.ch) Simon Allen Research Fellow, Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Murdoch University South St., Murdoch Western Australia 6150 Email: S.Allen@murdoch.edu.au Mobile: +61 (0)416 083 653 Web: http://www.cffr.murdoch.edu.au/mucru/simon_allen.html