The Dolphins Of Shark Bay

The Dolphins Of Shark Bay

Perceptive, sociable, and resourceful are three words that best describe the dolphins that make up the intriguing social hierarchy found in Australia's Shark Bay. In Pamela S. Turner's The Dolphins Of Shark Bay, she brilliantly describes the spectacular world of dolphins, which she experienced first-hand.

Most people are familiar with dolphins because they've seen them in movies, aquariums, and pictures. But it's impossible to capture the sheer intelligence that dolphins exhibit in the wild. For example, Turner tells the reader about dolphins called spongers. These dolphins are exclusive to Shark Bay. Spongers find pieces of sponge in the ocean, put it on their noses, and use them to catch prey. Turner also explains the interesting genetics behind the dolphins's miraculous use of tools. She discovers that if a mother is a sponger, the daughter will almost always use sponges to hunt. On the other hand, most sons do not take this trait from their mothers.

An aspect of the book that especially impacted me was the way Turner describes the affect tourists have on dolphins. She goes in-depth about tourists feeding dolphins on the beach, and how it is problematic. She explains how feeding mother dolphins can make them become lazy and uninterested in raising their young.

Throughout the book, the reader learns about the complicated social structure of the Shark Bay Dolphins. The reader starts to develop a sense of the dolphin's natural world and everyday life. The social system is much more complex than the reader might expect. Turner does a great job capturing this in the book.

Turner wrote this book to educate people about the sophistication and complexity of these spectacular animals. Through lots of facts, mixed with a healthy dose of humor, Turner leaves the reader with a very thorough understanding of Shark Bay dolphins.

The influence that this book had on my thoughts towards dolphins is lasting. The book reveals the intelligence of dolphins and makes us ponder the question: should we be allowed to keep these human-like animals in captivity?



Here is an article talking about Dolphins in captivity and their intelligence: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/08/debunking-captivity-3-reasons-not-to-keep-dolphins-in-a-tank/
A great documentary if you want to see these dolphins in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MLT_BOsffE