LESSON 2 - SeaTrek Programs

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Trained Medical Behaviors In aquariums around the world, such as Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, trainers use operant conditioning, positively reinforcing the dolphins for voluntarily participating in their own care. Part of the daily training sessions are dedicated to practicing medical behaviors, called husbandry training, which are the top priority for these animals. If the dolphins choose to participate in the husbandry sessions, they are rewarded. Like all training, medical behaviors are trained in small steps and are designed to be fun and rewarding for the dolphins. Through these trained behaviors, zoos and aquariums can collect basic health data which contributes to our growing body of knowledge regarding dolphin size, weight, skin condition, etc. Ultrasound A dolphin ultrasound uses the same technology that is used for people. During an ultrasound exam, a dolphin stretches out in the water in front of a trainer. The trainer rolls a probe over the dolphin’s abdomen to generate pictures of internal organs or to monitor the health and growth of a calf in the womb of a pregnant mother. Blood Sample Several times a year, a blood sample is taken from a blood vessel running along the underside of a dolphin’s tail fluke. The trainers ask the dolphin to present their flukes in the trainer’s lap by having them float dorsal up with the flukes held out of the water. Alcohol swabs are used to clean the area, and a small needle is used to draw blood. Veterinarians analyze these samples as part of regular health check-ups. X-Ray For an X-ray exam, the dolphin is asked to beach (or slide) onto the pool deck, with either their side or belly down. An X-ray requires the help of several staff members, one to keep the dolphin properly positioned, one to hold the X-ray plate, and one to operate the X-ray machinery. Weight At most facilities like Brookfield Zoo, dolphins are weighed once a week. They are asked to beach, or slide out of the water, onto a flat metal scale with their tail flukes held high for an accurate weight. Length and Girth Measurements Length and girth measurements are taken with a simple measuring tape. Length is measured from the rostrum to the fluke and girth is measured around a dolphin’s widest part just behind the dorsal fin. These measurements can help estimate the weight of a dolphin if a scale is not available or is not practical, as is the case with field research. Brookfield Zoo trainers use girth measurements to monitor the growth and to estimate the weight of pregnant females. After the first trimester of pregnancy it is not healthy for the females to slide out of the water and onto a weighing platform. Chuff A dolphin’s blowhole is directly connected to the lungs. By asking a dolphin to blow air through the blowhole (a behavior called chuffing), trainers can take a sample from the dolphin’s respiratory tract as part of regular check-ups. Milk, Saliva, and Urine Samples Using pumps and stimulation or by gently massaging in a certain area, trainers can collect milk and urine samples from a dolphin. For a saliva sample, they ask the dolphin to open its mouth so that keepers can rinse it with freshwater and then swab the lining with a cotton swab. All of these samples are helpful for detecting hormone levels in a dolphin. By analyzing milk samples, researchers can also replicate formula for claves in stranding facilities. www.seatrek.org V08/50531
Activity 3.1 Emotions in Motion Handout 3.1.3 Reflections Name _____________________________ 1. Which is easier to understand: verbal or non-verbal communication? Why? 2. In what other ways are humans better adapted to communicate than dolphins? Would human forms of communication work underwater? 3. In what ways are dolphins better adapted to communicate than humans? Would dolphin communication work on land? 4. What can we learn from dolphin communication? Explain your response. 5. Do you think that dolphins have their own formal language? Justify your belief. www.seatrek.org V08/50531
Page 1 and 2: Unit Overview The following materia
Page 3 and 4: Websites Developer Websites Mote Ma
Page 5 and 6: Lesson 1 Discovering Dolphins To ai
Page 7 and 8: Activity 1.1: Cetacean Interrogatio
Page 9 and 10: Instructor Copy 9. Dolphins drink t
Page 11 and 12: Instructor Copy 22. Research in zoo
Page 13 and 14: Activity 1.2: Lights! Camera! Actio
Page 15 and 16: Lesson 2 Behind the Bottlenose The
Page 17 and 18: Lesson 2 Behind the Bottlenose To i
Page 19 and 20: Lesson 2: Behind the Bottlenose Act
Page 21 and 22: Activity 2.1 Dolphin Details Handou
Page 27 and 28: Activity 2.2: Sensational Sound! Gr
Page 29 and 30: Activity 2.2 Sensational Sound! Han
Page 31 and 32: Lesson 3 The Reel World Bottlenose
Page 33 and 34: Activity 3.1: Emotions in Motion Gr
Page 35 and 36: What are the different sounds used
Page 37 and 38: How else do dolphins communicate? D
Page 39: Social Behaviors Dolphins use a var
Page 43 and 44: Lesson 4 Research Reality SeaTrek
Page 45 and 46: Activity 4.1: Exhilarating Ethology
Page 47 and 48: Activity 4.1 Exhilarating Ethology
Page 49 and 50: Activity 4.2: SeaTrek Videoconferen
Page 51 and 52: 10. The videoconference made me mor
Page 53 and 54: Lesson 5 Fin Factor Sarasota Dolphi
Page 55 and 56: Activity 5.1 Bay Watch Instructor C
Page 57 and 58: Activity 5.1 Bay Watch Handout 5.1.
Page 65 and 66: Activity 5.2 Sarasota Bay Ecosystem
Page 73 and 74: Lesson 6 Conservation Captured As a
Page 75 and 76: Activity 6.1: Investigation Intenti
Page 77 and 78: Activity 6.1 Investigations Intenti
Page 79 and 80: Appendix A: Vocabulary Delphinidae
Page 81 and 82: Appendix A: Vocabulary Pollution Un
Page 83 and 84: Appendix B: National Standards (9-1
Page 85 and 86: Appendix C: Sunshine State Standard

LESSON 2 - SeaTrek Programs

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