Dolphins keep their social and hunting lives in separate waters, study finds

A study in the journal PeerJ, led by Florida Atlantic University's Laurent Chérubin, used a solar-powered glider to record 62 hours of underwater audio along the East Florida Shelf. Researchers identified more than 1,600 dolphin recordings and found that whistles used for socializing clustered in nearshore waters, while echolocation clicks used for hunting appeared where prey fish were abundant.

The team also noticed that fish tend to go quiet when a dolphin is nearby, suggesting prey may be listening for predators too. Chérubin says the findings could help conservationists protect feeding and social habitats separately, and the team plans to repeat the study to track changes from marine heat waves and coastal development.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.