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Scientific Publications

Read about all the work we have conducted and published to date in peer reviewed scientific journals..

To download any of the scientific articles that are available below, simply click on “Download This Article” for a full text version of the article, in pdf format. Please email us at [email protected] should you need assistance.

Volker, C. L., & Herzing, D. L. (2021). Aggressive behaviors of adult male Atlantic spotted dolphins: Making signals count during intraspecific and interspecific conflicts.  Animal Behavior and Cognition, 8 ( 1 ), 36-51. Download this article

Dunn, C., Claridge, D., Herzing, D., Volker, C., Melillo-Sweeting, K., Wells, R.S., Turner, T., & O’Sullivan, K.   (2020). Rehabilitated and Released Atlantic Spotted Dolphin in the Bahamas Provides Insights into Broader Ranging Patterns and Conservation Needs.  Aquatic Mammals Journal  DOI 10.1578/AM.46.6.2020.633 (pp. 633-639) Download this article

Myers, A.J., Herzing, D.L., Bjorklund, D.F. (2017). Synchrony during aggression in adult male Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ) Acta Ethologica  DOI 10.1007/s10211-017-0262-7 Download this article

Herzing D.L., Augliere B.N., Elliser C.R., Green M.L., Pack A.A. (2017) Exodus! Large-scale displacement and social adjustments of resident Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ) in the Bahamas. PLoS ONE12(8): e0180304. Download this article

De Brabanter, G. L. B., Herzing, D. L., & Jarvis, S. (2017). Exploration of horizontal information transmission through social learning in juvenile Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ). Animal Behavior and Cognition, 4 (4), 425-441. https://dx.doi.org/ 10.26451/abc.04.04.03.2017 Download this article

Hoffmann-Kuhnt, M., Herzing, D. L., Ho, A., & Chitre, M. A. (2016). Whose line sound is it anyway? Identifying the vocalizer on underwater video by localizing with a hydrophone array. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 3 (4), 288–298. doi: 10.12966/abc.07.11.2016 Download this article

Kohlsdorf, D.,Herzing, D. L., & Starner, T. (2016). Method for discovering models of behavior: A case study with wild Atlantic spotted dolphins. Animal Behavior and Cognition,3 (4), 265–287. doi: 10.12966/abc.06.11.2016 Download this article

Herzing, D. L. (2016). Interfaces and keyboards for human-dolphin communication: What have we learned. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 3 (4), 243–254. doi: 10.12966/abc.04.11.2016 Download this article

Herzing, D. L. and C. R. Elliser. Opportunistic Sightings of Cetaceans in Nearshore and Offshore Waters of Southeast Florida. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci. , 48: 21–31. doi:10.2960/J.v48.m709 Download this article

Elliser C.R. and D.L. Herzing. (2016). Changes in interspecies association patterns of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins,  Tursiops truncatus,  and Atlantic spotted dolphins,  Stenella frontalis,  after demographic changes related to environmental disturbance.  Mar. Mamm. Sci., DOI: 10.111/mms.12289  Download this article

Kohlsdorf, D., Herzing, D., & Starner, T. (2016a). Feature Learning and Automatic Segmentation for Dolphin Communication Analysis. In  INTERSPEECH  (pp. 2621-2625).  Download this article

Elliser C.R. and D.L. Herzing. (2015). Long-term interspecies association patterns of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins,  Tursiops truncatus,  and Atlantic spotted dolphins,  Stenella frontalis,  in the Bahamas.  Mar. Mamm. Sci.,  DOI: 10.111/mms.12242.  Download this article

Herzing, D. L. (2014). Profiling nonhuman intelligence: An exercise in developing unbiased tools for describing other “types” of intelligence on earth.  Acta Astronautica ,  94 (2), 676-680. Download this article

Herzing, D. L. (2014). Clicks, whistles and pulses: Passive and active signal use in dolphin communication.  Acta Astronautica ,  105 (2), 534-537. Download this article

Kohlsdorf, D., Mason, C., Herzing, D., & Starner, T. (2014, May). Probabilistic extraction and discovery of fundamental units in dolphin whistles. In  Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), 2014 IEEE International Conference on (pp. 8242-8246). IEEE. Download this article

Cusick, J. A. & Herzing, D. L. (2014). The Dynamic of Aggression: How Individual and Group Factors Affect the Long-Term Interspecific Aggression Between Two Sympatric Species of Dolphin.  Ethology  120 ,  287–303. Download this article

Kohlsdorf, D., Gilliland, S., Presti, P., Starner, T., & Herzing, D. (2013, September). An underwater wearable computer for two way human-dolphin communication experimentation. In  Proceedings of the 2013 International Symposium on Wearable Computers  (pp. 147-148). ACM. Download this article

Herzing, D. L. and C. R. Elliser. (2013). Directionality of sexual activities during mixed species encounters between Atlantic spotted dolphin ( Stenella frontalis ) and bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 26: 124-134.  Download this article

Delfour, F. and D. L Herzing. (2013). Underwater Mirror Exposure to Free-Ranging Naïve Atlantic Spotted Dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ) in the Bahamas. International Journal of Comparative Psychology , 26: 158-165. Download this article

Elliser C.R. and D.L. Herzing. (2013a). Long-term social structure of a resident community of Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis , in the Bahamas 1991-2002. Mar. Mamm. Sci., DOI: 10.1111/mms.12039. Download this article

Elliser C. R. and D.L. Herzing. (2013b). Social structure of Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis, following environmental disturbance and demographic changes. Mar. Mamm. Sci ., DOI: 10.1111/mms.12038. Download this article

Elliser C.R. and D.L. Herzing. (2012). Community structure and cluster definition of Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis , in the Bahamas.  Mar. Mamm. Sci., 28: e486-e502. Download this article

Herzing, D.L., Delfour, F. and Pack, A.A. (2012). Responses of Human-habituated wild Atlantic spotted dolphins to play behaviors using a Two-Way Interface.  International Journal of Comparative Psychology , 25: 137-165. Download This Article

Green, Michelle L., Herzing, Denise L., and Baldwin, John D. (2011). Reproductive success of male Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis) revealed by noninvasive genetic analysis of paternity. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 89: 239-253. Download This Article

Elliser C.R. and D. L. Herzing. (2011). Replacement dolphins? Social restructuring of a resident pod of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus , after two major hurricanes.  Mar. Mamm. Sci., 27 (1): 39-59.

Herzing, D.L. (2010). SETI Meets A Social Intelligence: Dolphins As A Model For Real-Time Interaction And Communication With A Sentient Species. Acta Astronautica. Special Edition, 67: 1451-1454.  Download This Article

Aichinger Dias, L, Herzing, D. and Flach, Leonardo. (2009). Aggregations of Guiana dolphins ( Sotalia guianensis ) in Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil: distribution patterns and ecological characteristics. J. Marine Biol. Assoc. U.K ., 89 (5): 967-973. Download This Article

Welsh, L.S. and D.L. Herzing. (2008). Preferential Association Among Kin Exhibited in a Population of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ). International Journal of Comparative Psychology , 21: 1-11. Download This Article

Bender, C.E., Herzing, D.L. and Bjorklund, D.F. (2008). Evidence of Teaching In Atlantic Spotted Dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ) by Mother Dolphins Foraging in the Presence of their Calves. Animal Cognition , 12 (1): 43-53. Download This Article

Green, M. L, Herzing, D.L. and Baldwin, J.D. (2007). Noninvasive methodology for the sampling and extraction of DNA from free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ). Molecular Ecology Notes , 7: 1287-1292. Download This Article

Herzing, D. L. (2006). The Currency of Cognition: Assessing Tools, Techniques, and Media for Complex Behavioral Analysis. Aquatic Mammals , 32 (4): 544-553. Download This Article

Herzing, D. L., Johnson, C. M. (2006). Conclusions and Possibilities of New Frameworks and Techniques for Research on Marine Mammal Cognition. Aquatic Mammals , 32 (4): 554-557. Download This Article

Johnson, C. M. Herzing, D. L. (2006). Primate, Cetacean, and Pinniped Cognition Compared: An Introduction. Aquatic Mammals , 32 (4): 409-412. Download This Article

Parsons, K.M, Durban, J.W., Claridge, D.E., Herzing, D.L., Balcomb, K.C., Noble, L.R. (2006). Population genetic structure of coastal bottlenose dolphins ( Turisops truncatus ) in the northern Bahamas. Marine Mammal Science , 22 (2): 276-298. Download This Article

Herzing, D.L. (2005). Transmission mechanisms of social learning in dolphins: underwater observations of free-ranging dolphins in the Bahamas. Autour de L'Ethologie et de la Cognition Animale. Presses Universitaires de Lyon, Publ, 185-193. Download This Article

Rogers, C.A., Brunnick, B.J., Herzing, D.L, Baldwin, J.D. (2004). The Social structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus , in the Bahamas. Marine Mammal Science, 20 (4): 688-708. Download This Article

Herzing,D.L. and dos Santos, M. (2004). Functional Aspects of Echolocation in Dolphins. In: Advances in the Study of Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins. Springer-Verlag Press, 386-393. Download This Article

Herzing,D.L. (2004). Social and Non-Social uses of Echolocation in Free-Ranging Stenella frontalis and Tursiops truncatus . In: Advances in the Study of Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins. Springer-Verlag Press, 404-410. Download This Article

Lammers, M.O., Au, W.W.L. and Herzing, D.L. (2003). "The broadband social acoustic signaling behavior of spinner and spotted dolphins." J. Acoustical. Society of America, 114 (3): 1629-1639. Download This Article

Au, W.W.L. and Herzing, D.L. (2003). Echolocation signals of wild Atlantic spotted dolphin ( Stenella frontalis ). J. Acoustical Society of America , 113 (1): 598-604. Download This Article

Herzing, D. L, Moewe, K. and BJ. Brunnick (2003). Interspecies interactions between Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis , and bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus , on Great Bahama Bank, Bahamas. Aquatic Mammals , 29 (3): 335-341. Download This Article

Miles, J, and D.L. Herzing (2003). Underwater analysis of the behavioral development of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphin ( Stenella frontalis ) calves (birth to 4 years of age). Aquatic Mammals , 29 (3): 363-377. Download This Article

Psarakos, S, Herzing, D.L. and K. Marten. (2003). Mixed-species associations between Pantropical spotted dolphins ( Stenella attenuata ) and Hawaiian spinner dolphins ( Stenella longirostris ) of Oahu, Hawaii. Aquatic Mammals , 29 (3): 390-395. Download This Article

Frantzis, A., and Herzing, D.L. (2002). Mixed species associations of striped dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ), common dolphin ( Delphinus delphis ) and Risso's dolphin ( Grampus griseus ), in the Gulf of Corinth (Greece, Mediterranean Sea). Aquatic Mammals , 28 (2): 188-197. Download This Article

Marten, K., Herzing, D.L., Poole, M. and Newman-Allman, Kelly (2001). The acoustic predation hypothesis: linking underwater observations and recordings during odontocete predation and observing the effects of loud impulsive sounds on fish. Aquatic Mammals , 27 (1): 56-66. Download This Article

Herzing,D.L. (2000). Acoustics and Social Behavior of Wild Dolphins: Implications for a sound society. In: Hearing in Whales, Springer-Verlag Handbook of Auditory Research , 225-272. Download This Article

Herzing, D.L. and White, T.J. (1999). Dolphins and the Question of Personhood. Special Issue: Etica Animali , 9/98:  64-84. Download This Article

Rossbach,K.A. and Herzing, D.L. (1999). Inshore and Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) Communities Distinguished by Association Patterns, near Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Canadian J. Zoology , 77: 581-592. Download This Article

Herzing, D.L. (1997). The life history of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ): Age classes, color phases, and female reproduction. Marine Mammal Science , 13 (4): 576-595. Download This Article

Herzing D.L., and Johnson, C.M. (1997). Interspecific interactions between Atlantic spotted dolphins ( Stenella frontalis ) and bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in the Bahamas, 1985-1995. Aquatic Mammals , 23 (2): 85-99. Download This Article

Rossbach, K. A. and Herzing D.L. (1997). Underwater observations of benthic-feeding bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) near Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. Marine Mammal Science, 13 (3): 498-504. Download This Article

Herzing, D.L. and Brunnick, B.J. (1997). Coefficients of Association of reproductively active female Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis . Aquatic Mammals, 23 (3): 155-162. Download This Article

Herzing, D.L. (1996). Vocalizations and associated underwater behavior of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis , and bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus . Aquatic Mammals, 22 (2): 61-79. Download This Article

Herzing, D.L. (1993). Dolphins in the Wild: An Eight Year Study on Dolphin Communication and Interspecies interaction. Dissertation . Union Institute, Cincinnati, OH

Herzing, D.L. (1988). A quantitative description and behavioral associations of a burst-pulsed sound, the "squawk" in the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus . Thesis . San Francisco State University.

Pelletier, K.R. and Herzing, D.L. (1988). Psychoneuroimmunology: Towards a Mindbody Model. A critical review. Advances , 5 (1): 26-56.

Bayer, R.D. and Herzing, D.L. (1985). Pre-laying assemblages of common murres on the colony at Yaquina Head, Oregon. The Murrelet , 66: 94-95.

Herzing, D.L. and Mate, B.R. (1984).  Gray Whale Migrations along the Oregon Coast, 1978-1981. In The Gray Whale, (Eds. ML Jones, SL Swartz, & SF Leatherwood). Academic Press , 289-306. Download This Article

Your ticket for the: Scientific Publications

Dolphin Communication Project

Dolphin Communication Project

Current Research Projects

Scientists associated with the Dolphin Communication Project are busy conducting research on a number of different dolphin species at numerous locations around the world. While Kathleen Dudzinski’s main focus has always been on dolphin-to-dolphin communication, DCP’s other team members, collaborators and students have focused their research questions on a wide variety of topics related to dolphin acoustics, biology, ecology, physiology, cognition and behavior. A comprehensive, though not 100% complete, list of our study results is available on the Publications Page under the Research Hub. You can also visit the Our Partners pages (also in the Research Hub) to learn more about details about the various research programs of our partners.

On this page, we introduce you to a few of DCP’s past and present research studies.

And of course, a throwback photo of Kathleen Dudzinski, Kel Melillo Sweeting and Justin Gregg (seen together on Bimini in 2013!)

KD, JG & KMS on Bimini 2013

Dolphin Creativity

In recent years, creativity has become more and more accepted as a method of measuring cognitive abilities in humans. Tests of creativity show little to none of the bias (gender, socioeconomic status) commonly found in intelligence testing. Developing tests that can be used with non-human animals may also make creativity or innovation a valuable tool for the assessment of cognition in these species, allowing for subsequent comparisons of humans to non-humans. Our goal is to study creative responses from the behaviors produced when dolphins are trained to ‘do something different.’ Not many scientists have investigated how to best collect the data to represent the dolphins’ understanding of creativity. DCP along with other collaborators and experienced dolphin trainers developed a method for training and testing creative abilities in dolphins ( Dudzinski et al., 2018 ). We developed a very strict criterion for what was considered a ‘novel’ behavior and what was accepted as different.

Watch this video to learn more about our data collection protocol and how we study dolphin creativity at RIMS.

Pectoral Fin Contact

Since about 2004, Dudzinski has focused much of her attention on how dolphins share information via pectoral fin (flipper) contacts. You can read the scientific details in several peer-reviewed papers on the Publications page under the Research Hub option. A brief synopsis of our results from this research is included here.

Dolphins are extremely tactile animals, meaning they use touch as a form of communication often. DCP has been studying how dolphins use their pectoral fins to rub each other as a method for sharing information. Our first study focused on documenting every pectoral fin contact we caught on camera (via the MVA) between the Atlantic spotted dolphins in The Bahamas and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins around Mikura Island, Japan. We reviewed 12 years of data – 512 min of video from The Bahamas and 1,208 min of video from around Mikura. From these data, we documented 589 pectoral fin contacts: 139 from spotted dolphins and 450 from bottlenose dolphins! Essentially, we confirmed that how dolphins use their pectoral fins to exchange contacts – when, with whom, where on their bodies – were “conserved.” That is, dolphins in The Bahamas exchanged pectoral fin contacts very much the same as did those around Mikura Island! One exception was seen in how calves shared pectoral fin contacts between these two locations … you’ll have to read the paper to find out! The citation on the Publications page is Dudzinski et al. (2009).

JA image of Tt at RIMS

Our next study focused on comparing what we documented for pectoral fin contact among both groups of wild dolphins with the captive dolphins at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) on Roatan, Honduras. Not only were we comparing three different dolphin species (Atlantic spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, we were also looking at three different habitats. Mikura is a dormant volcano with a boulder seafloor and little sand. The Bahamas is characterized by a calcium precipitate sandy sea floor with some sea grass here and there. The dolphins at RIMS reside near Bailey’s Cay and have sand, coral heads and sea grass along their sea floor. Additionally, with this study, we could ask whether wild and captive dolphins use their pectoral fins similarly or more differently.

As with our first set of results, we found no major significant differences between how individuals from these three groups shared pectoral fin contacts! One minor difference was that the RIMS dolphins did not share as many pectoral fin to pectoral fin contacts as did the wild dolphins (both groups). This might be related to the fact that the dolphins at RIMS did not need this particular tactile contact as a greeting. Check out Dudzinski et al. (2010) for more information on this three-way comparative study!

One interesting side note related to the amount of data we collected at RIMS: we have documented more than 3,000 pectoral fin contacts between dolphins at RIMS over an 11 year period! As has been mentioned elsewhere on the DCP web site, our return on effort studying the dolphins in human care is much higher than our return studying the wild dolphins. Still, the details we glean from both settings helps us provide the most comprehensive view of dolphin society.

The last set of questions on the topic of pectoral fin contact are being addressed now (i.e., fall 2014 – winter 2015). Dudzinski is reviewing just the RIMS pectoral fin contact exchange data to better understand how dolphins use pectoral fin contact with kin versus non-kin peers, as well as to understand how reciprocity is used when dolphins share pectoral fin contacts. That is, does the receiver of one interaction always, sometimes or never return the contact? Why? Stay tuned to this and the Publications Page for an update by the spring of 2015. We’ll also post a notice about our results in the Dolphin Gazette , DCP’s newsletter, and on our blog!

Click here to download a PDF of our 2024 infographic on dolphin pectoral fin contact:

research paper topics about dolphins

Maternal Style

It is well established that maternal care is very important across dolphin species. When looking at bottlenose dolphins at RIMS, DCP researchers are seeking a deeper understanding of exactly what goes into one component of maternal care: touch. Researchers are asking 1) What types of contact do moms use with their calves? 2) How do moms initiate contact with their calves? and 3) Do dolphin moms have unique parenting styles. This line of study is on-going and related publications are listed below. You can also click here to download a PDF of our 2024 infographic on maternal style:

research paper topics about dolphins

Dudzinski, KM, Ribic, CA, Hill, HM, Bolton, T (2021). Evidence for maternal style among adult female dolphins when sharing pectoral fin contacts with their calves. Anim. Behav. Cogn., 8(1): 52-68. Dudzinski, KM, Ribic, CA, Hill, HM, Bolton, T (2021). Dolphin Calf Initiated Pectoral Fin Contact with Kin and Non-kin. Anim. Behav. Cogn., 8(3): 376-390. Dudzinski, KM, Themelin, M, Hill, HMM, Bolton, TT (2022). Allomaternal Care and Allo-nursing Behaviors by a Primiparous Bottlenose Dolphin. Aquat. Mamm. (Special Issue), 48(6): 536-540. Duda, S, Themelin, M, Hirons, AC, Dudzinski, KM (2024). Contact exchanges in bottlenose dolphin mother-calf pairs. Aquat. Mamm., 50(1), 19-29.

Captive vs Wild

In the wild and in captivity, dolphins often use their bodies, pectoral fins and dorsal fin to rub the bodies, pectoral fins, dorsal fin and flukes of peers. Dolphins will swim belly-to-belly or be aggressive with one another in courtship behaviors or with mating. Dolphins are tactile animals and are often seen in close proximity or touching peers as they travel, rest or socialize. The results from our preliminary comparative examination of captive and wild dolphin behavior suggest that touch is exchanged similarly in both settings. A more thorough study of dolphin actions, especially tactile exchanges, between both environments is likely to elucidate more subtle differences.

Comparative studies of the behavior of captive and wild dolphins can be complimentary and provide a more complete and comprehensive understanding of both individual dolphin and group behavior. Dudzinski has spent more than 20 years observing dolphins in both settings. In the 1990s, Dudzinski conducted a survey of marine animal trainers that confirmed that both researchers and animal care professionals can use information and results from wild animals to inform enrichment and assessment of animal behavior for individuals in the captive arena: categorization and qualification of behaviors was essentially the same for researchers observing wild dolphin behavior from under water as for trainers who work with dolphins every day.

For more information on DCP’s research with captive dolphin populations, check out our Publications Page on this web site. Or, to learn more about Dudzinski’s and her colleagues’ research of captive dolphins, check out the film Understanding Dolphins featuring interviews with Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski: http://vimeo.com/92797184

Near-shore sightings

In October 2014, Kel Melillo Sweeting was lead author with Kathleen Dudzinski and Deirdre Yeater (SHU) on a paper submitted to Aquatic Mammals Journal. This short note is in review with the journal. If our paper is accepted for publication, we’ll post an announcement on DCP’s blog and also in the Dolphin Gazette. Here is a synopsis of our paper.

Many small dolphin species use coastal habitats either as residents or in passing. Example species that spend much time in a coastal area include bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Hector’s dolphins and humpback dolphins. Given the fact that many coastal areas are in close proximity to human population centers, it’s not surprising that these dolphins are well-studied. It’s also not surprising that these dolphins might also be most impacted by humans in their daily routines. Dolphin daily routines are much like any social mammal — they use these areas for foraging, resting, socializing, playing, and more. Understanding how dolphins use an area will contribute to the overall conservation and management of a population, and maybe a species.

Coastal development by humans can have an impact on many other species, dolphins included. Because the west coast of Bimini, The Bahamas, is currently being developed for tourism on a larger scale than ever before in it’s history, DCP will quantify how the Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins use the near-shore area off the west coast of Bimini before this development.

Check back here or to the DCP blog or Dolphin Gazette for updates to learn more about this study and for information about the pending publication.

research paper topics about dolphins

Demographics of dolphins off Bimini, The Bahamas

DCP has observed dolphins off Bimini, The Bahamas each year since 2003 (our 2001 & 2002 seasons are considered preliminary). We are currently completing an 11-year summary study of the Atlantic spotted dolphins in this area. Sightings and encounter details, including times and locations, photo-identification work, association patterns and more are all on the menu! Please stay tuned for updates on our progress, including the future publication of the resulting manuscript.

Social Behavior

Dolphins are social mammals. One method historically used to evaluate social relationships in non-human animals is to calculate coefficients of association between individuals. These association indices are based on the amount of time two individuals spend together versus apart. But these values may not accurately represent the quality of a relationship between two individuals. The quality of relationships in social animals is likely to be comprised of several different dimensions, namely value, compatibility, and security (Fraser et al., 2008; Fraser & Bugnyar, 2010). Relationship value refers to direct benefits gained as a result of the relationship, compatibility measures the level of tolerance that exists between two individuals and the general nature of the social interactions, and security measures the consistency of a pair’s interactions over time (Fraser & Bugnyar, 2010). Quantifying contacts between individuals of a particular species into the categories affiliative or agonistic as well as examining the approach response may help to indicate of the dimensions of value, compatibility, and security.

research paper topics about dolphins

Fraser et al. (2008) examined components of relationship quality in chimpanzees while Fraser and Bugnyar (2010) investigated interactions and behavioral exchanges between Ravens to assess the security, value, and compatibility that might exist between dyadic interactions, for both species. We are adapting their methods for a more comprehensive study of dolphin behavior and interactions, focusing on Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) around Bimini, The Bahamas, and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at RIMS, Roatan, Honduras, to understand and characterize the quality of relationships between dolphins. To address this topic of study, we are currently analyzing the DCP data archive for these two dolphin groups with emphasis on all tactile contact behaviors, the response to approach and object play details. We hope to have preliminary results ready in mid-to-late 2015. Stay tuned!

Fraser, O.N., Bugnyar, T. 2010. The quality of social relationships in ravens. Animal Behaviour 79: 927-933.

Fraser, O.N., Schino, G., Aureli, F. 2008. Components of relationship quality in chimpanzees. Ethology 114: 834-843.

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Articles on Dolphins

Displaying 1 - 20 of 62 articles.

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The return of Bladerunner the humpback and Split Fin the killer whale – a cautionary tale about seafaring vessels

Vanessa Pirotta , Macquarie University

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Playful young male dolphins grow up to have more offspring

Kathryn Holmes , The University of Western Australia

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Dolphins vs fishers: both are the losers in the Mediterranean seas off Morocco

Mohamed Keznine , Université Abdelmalek Essaadi

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Are we really about to talk to whales?

Luke Rendell , University of St Andrews

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Friday essay: ‘mourning cannot be an endpoint’ – James Bradley on living in an Age of Emergency

James Bradley , University of Sydney

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Discovering the world of dolphins and their three ‘super senses’

Juliana López Marulanda , Université Paris Nanterre – Université Paris Lumières

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Australian dolphins have the world’s highest concentrations of ‘forever chemicals’

Chantel Foord , RMIT University

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Drought in the Amazon: Understanding the causes and the need for an immediate action plan to save the biome

Lucas Ferrante , Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM)

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Whale-watching guidelines don’t include boat noise. It’s time they did

Kate Sprogis , The University of Western Australia ; Fredrik Christiansen , Aarhus University , and Patricia Arranz Alonso , Universidad de La Laguna

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Drones gather new and useful data for marine research, but they can disturb whales and dolphins

Jaclyn A. Aubin , University of Windsor

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Underwater noise is a threat to marine life

Graeme Shannon , Bangor University

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Lobsters versus right whales: The latest chapter in a long quest to make fishing more sustainable

Blake Earle , Texas A&M University

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When we swim in the ocean, we enter another animal’s home. Here’s how to keep us all safe

Rebecca Olive , RMIT University

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Sleeping fish? From sharks to salmon, guppies to groupers, here’s how they grab a snooze

Michael Heithaus , Florida International University

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Dolphins use signature whistles to represent other dolphins – similarly to how humans use names

Jason Bruck , Stephen F. Austin State University

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Africa’s large aquatic animals are being hunted and traded: we assessed the scale

Daniel J Ingram , University of Stirling

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Allow me to introduce myself: Squirrels use rattle calls to identify themselves

Shannon M. Digweed , MacEwan University

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We’ve discovered why some whales stop feeding in response to the sound of sonar

Patrick Miller , University of St Andrews ; Charlotte Cure , and Saana Isojunno , University of St Andrews

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Are marine protected areas helping marine mammals and birds? Maybe, but more can be done

Peter Evans , Bangor University

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The critically endangered Māui dolphin is a conservation priority – we shouldn’t let uncertainty stop action to save it

Rochelle Constantine , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau and Wendi Roe , Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

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Research Fellow, UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia

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Dolphins Plus Conference Presentations

Banick, K., & Borger, J. L. (2005). A mass-stranding event of rough-toothed dolphins ( Steno bredanensis ) in the Florida Keys ( Florida, USA ) : II. Release and tracking . Formal presentation at the 16 th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals.

Bergman, K. R., Byerly, H. C., Richardson, J.L., Weierick, M. M, & Lilli, J. L. (2011). A novel approach to training phlebotomy procedures in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) to treat iron storage disease . Formal presentation presented at the 39 th annual International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association, Miami, Florida.

Butzen, C., & Byerly, H. C. (2010). Factors affecting the ability of bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) to interpret human-given social cues. Poster presented at the Animal Behavior Society Conference, Williamsburg, Virginia.

Byerly, H. C., & Ashley, L. B. (2010). A systematic examination of training techniques and the elicitation of motivation in an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). Formal presentation at the 38 th annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Boston, Massachusetts.

Byerly, H. C., Richardson, J. L., & Kuczaj, S. A. (2009). Paternal investment in the care of a dolphin calf. Poster presented at the 18 th Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, Quebec, Canada.

Byerly, H. C., Richardson, J. L., & Kuczaj, S. A. (2011). Mating behavior in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) . Poster presented at the 19 th Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, Tampa, Florida.

Clegg, I. L. K., Borger-Turner, J. L., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2015). C-Well: The development of a welfare assessment index for captive bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). Formal presentation at the 42 nd Annual International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association Conference, Nassau, Bahamas.

Cooper, N. J., Borger-Turner, J. L., Eskelinen, H. C., Noll, N., & Renner, M. (2016). Scanning cetaceans: Facilitating serial computerized tomography ( CT ) scans of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ).  Formal presentation presented at International Marine Animal Training Association, San Diego, California.

Cooper, N. J., Richardson, J. L., Byerly, H. C. & Cooper, A. G. (2010). Training transformation: overhauling the training protocol of two marine mammal facilities in the Florida Keys. Formal presentation at the 38 th annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Boston, Massachusetts.

Cooper, N. J., Richardson, J. L., Turner, T. N., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2014). Marine mammal training protocol and behavioral inventory for Tursiops truncatus . Poster presented at the 41 st annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Orlando, Florida.

Enright, N. K., Halladay, M. A., Borger-Turner, J. L. (2015). Taking on rescued California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ) pups: The realities, the challenges, and the rewards.   Formal presentation at the 42 nd Annual International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association Conference, Nassau, Bahamas.

Eskelinen, H. C., Tufano, S., & Borger-Turner, J. L. (2015). Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) whistle rates and blood cortisol levels during periods of perceived stress. Formal presentation at the 21 st Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, San Francisco, California.

Herring, H. M., & Byerly, H. C. (2011). An examination of superstitious behaviors of two hearing impaired bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) . Poster presented at the 39 th annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Miami, Florida.

Johnson, B. K., Byerly, H. C. (2015). An analysis of modifying an aversive stimulus into a reinforcer in a single bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). Poster presentation at the Annual International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association Conference, Miami, Florida.

Jones, B. L., Eskelinen, H. C., & Kuczaj, S. A. II (2015). Bubblestream whistle production, quality, and parameter development in infant Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) during the first thirty days of life. Poster presented at the 21 st Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, San Francisco, California.

Jones, B. L., Eskelinen, H. C., & Kuczaj, S. A. II (2015). Whistle production in infant bottlenose dolphins during the first thirty days of life. Formal presentation at the 1 st annual Watkins Memorial Marine Mammal Bioacoustics Symposium, New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Kleinschmidt, E. L., Richardson, J. L., Turner, T., & Feucht, T. R. (2014). Quantification of tooth rake marks in captive bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) for improved aggression management. Formal presentation at the 41 st annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Orlando, Florida.

Kuczaj, S. A., Byerly, H. C., Perisho, S., Jones, B., & Richardson, J. L. (2012, October). Individual dolphin mothers use unique signals to call their calves . Formal presentation at the Comparative Cognition Society Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Kuczaj, S. A., Byerly, H. C., Richardson, J. L., Sayre, S. C., & Perisho, S. (2009). Gotta go, mom’s calling: Dolphin mothers use acoustic signals to call their calves. Poster session presented at the 18 th Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, Quebec, Canada.

Kuczaj, S. A., Highfill, L. E., & Byerly, H. C. (2011). The importance of considering context in the assessment of personality characteristics. Formal presentation at the 19 th Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, Tampa, Florida.

Lawrence, M. K., Borger-Turner, J. L., Eskelinen, H. C., Turner, T. N. (2015). Investigating the effects of applied learning principles on the “create” response in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). Formal presentation at The Comparative Cognition Society 23 rd International Conference, Melbourne, Florida.

Lawrence, M. K., Richardson, J. L., Eskelinen, H. C., & Turner, T. N. (2014). Investigating the effects of psychological learning theories on Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) choice behavior . Informal presentation at the 41 st annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Orlando, Florida.

Lopes, M. M., Eskelinen, H. C., Kuczaj, S. A., & Richardson, J. L. (2014). Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) responses to an artificial stimulus: impacts of novelty and demographic variations . Informal presentation at the 41 st annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Orlando, Florida.

Lopes, M. M., Richardson, J. L., Eskelinen, H. C., & Kuczaj, S. A. (2015). Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) response to a novel stimulus. Formal presentation at The Comparative Cognition Society 23 rd International Conference, Melbourne, Florida.

McCarthy, J. K., Byerly, H. C., Bates, R. J., & Richardson, J. L. (2011). An analysis of caloric intake, water temperature, reproductive status, and sexual behavior of Tursiops truncatus in ambient seawater facilities. Poster presented at the 19 th Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Meeting, Tampa, Florida.

McCarthy, J. K., Byerly, H. C., Bates, R. J., & Richardson, J. L. (2011). An analysis of the effects of water temperature and reproductive status on caloric intake in Tursiops truncatus in ambient seawater facilities. Poster presented at the 39 th Annual International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association, Miami, Florida.

Noll, N. E., Vanderhart, M. I., & Renner, M. (2016). The clinical importance of following up computed tomography scans in thoracic disease of bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) . Formal presentation at the 47 th Annual IAAAM Meeting and Conference, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Prevost, K., & Byerly, H. C. (2010). Identifying and evaluating social, dominant, and aggressive behaviors among three bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in Key Largo, Florida . Poster presented at Tennessee Academy of Sciences Christian Brothers University Meeting, Memphis, Tennessee.

Rivard, A., Richardson, J. L., & Byerly, H. C. (2012). Assessing peripheral visual acuity in a visually-impaired California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ) pre and post cataract surgery . Formal presentation at the 2 nd Annual Symposium of the Florida Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, Sarasota, Florida.

Sayre S., Andersen S., Richardson J., & Cooper, N. (2007) Contacting Castaway: Training a Wild, Deaf, Offshore Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) . Formal presentation at the 36 th Annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Sayre, S. C., & Wright, M. (2008). Disabled but not discounted: A case study of two Tursiops truncatus. Formal presentation at the 36 th Annual International Marine Animal Trainers Association Conference, Cancun, Mexico.

Strobel, M. M., Walsh, M. T., Houser, D. S., Moore, K. T., Mann, D. A., Finneran, J. J., Clough, P. L., Davis, M. R., Staggs, L. A., Eskelinen, H. C., & Bates, R. J. (2016). Auditory evoked potentials and behavioral considerations with hearing loss in small cetaceans: Application as a standard diagnostic test in health assessment. Formal presentation at the 47 th Annual IAAAM Meeting and Conference, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Winship, K. A., Eskelinen, H. C., Holmes, S., & Kuczaj, S. A. II (2016). Individual differences in dolphins while watching video footage . Formal Presentation at The Comparative Cognition Society 24 th International Conference, Melbourne, Florida.

Winship, K. A., Jones, B. L., Ames, A., Eskelinen, H. C., & Kuczaj, S. A. II (2015). Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) sound production during a cooperative task. Poster Presentation at The Comparative Cognition Society 23 rd International Conference, Melbourne, Florida.

Winship, K., Kuczaj, S. A. II, & Eskelinen, H. C. (2014). Dolphins can cooperate to solve a novel task. Formal presentation at the 21 st Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, Florida.

Winship, K. A., Taylor, A., Eskelinen, H. C., & Kuczaj, S. A. II (2015). Individual differences in bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) problem solving. Poster presented at the 21 st Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, San Francisco, California.

Wright, K. A. (2011). Decreased ability to acquire food of a captive deaf dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Slower reaction times and lower success rates .  Presented at the Undergraduate Research Conference at Guelph. Ontario, Canada.

Dolphins Plus Peer-Reviewed Publications

Borger-Turner, J. L., Chase, D., & Eskelinen, H. C. ( in prep ). Activity budget and stereotypic behavior of two, rescued juvenile California sea lions ( Zalophus californianus ).

Clegg, I., Borger-Turner, J. L., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2015). C-Well: The development of welfare assessment measures and protocols for captive bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). Animal Welfare , 24 , 267–282.

Clegg, I. L. K., Borger-Turner, J. L., & Eskelinen, H. C. ( in review ). Measuring cetacean welfare. Soundings

Eskelinen, H. C., Borger-Turner, J. L., & Kuczaj, S. A. ( in review ). Paternal investment in the care of a dolphin calf. International Journal of Comparative Psychology

Eskelinen, H. C., Borger-Turner, J. L., & Tufano, S. ( in prep ). Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) whistle rates and blood cortisol levels during periods of perceived stress. Science

Eskelinen, H. C., Borger-Turner, J. L., & Wendt, J. K.  ( in review ). An analysis of caloric intake, water temperatures, reproductive status, and sexual behavior of Tursiops truncatus in ambient seawater facilities. Aquatic Mammals .

Eskelinen, H. C., Jones, B. L., & Kuczaj, S.A. ( in review ). The ontogeny of whistle production in infant Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). Aquatic Mammals

Eskelinen, H. C., Winship, K. A., & Borger-Turner, J. L. (2015). Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) preferences toward environmental enrichment sessions. Animal Behavior and Cognition , 2 (3), 241–253.

Eskelinen, H. C., Winship, K. A., Jones, A. A., Ames, A. E. M., & Kuczaj, S. A. II (2016). Acoustic behavior affiliated with cooperative task success in bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). Animal Cognition , 1–9.

Kuczaj, S. A., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2014). The “creative dolphin” revisited: what dolphins do when asked to vary their behavior. Animal Behavior and Cognition , 1 (1), 65–75.

Kuczaj, S. A., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2014). Why do dolphins play? Animal Behavior and Cognition , 1 (2), 113–127.

Kuczaj, S. A., Eskelinen, H. C., Jones, B. L., & Borger-Turner, J. L.  (2015). Gotta go, mom’s calling: Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) mothers use individually distinctive acoustic signals to call their calves. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2 , 88–95.

Kuczaj, S. A., Highfill, L. E., & Byerly, H. C. (2012). The importance of considering context in the assessment of personality characteristics: evidence from ratings of dolphin personality. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 25 , 309–329.

Kuczaj, S. A., Highfill, L. E., Makecha, R. N., & Byerly, H. C. (2013). Why do dolphins smile? A comparative perspective on dolphin emotions and emotional expressions. In: S. Watanabe & S. Kuczaj (Eds .), Comparative perspectives on human and animal emotions. New York: Springer.

Kuczaj, S. A., Winship, K. A., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2015). Bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) can cooperate when solving a novel task.  Animal Cognition, 18 , 543–550.

Lawrence, M. K., Borger-Turner, J. L., Turner, T. N., & Eskelinen, H. C. (2016). Investigating the effects of applied learning principles on the “create” response in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). International Journal of Comparative Psychology , 29 , 1–9.

Lopes, M., Borger-Turner, J. L., Eskelinen, H. C., & Kuczaj, S. A., II (2016). Influence of age, sex, and the presence of offspring on the responses of bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) to a novel stimulus over time. Animal Behavior and Cognition 3 (1), 32–45.

Richardson, J. L., Byerly, H. C., Bergman, K. R., Weierick, M. M., Lilli, J. L., Stevens, R. O. Stevens, & Cooper, N. J. (2013). Training phlebotomy procedures in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) to treat iron storage disease. Soundings, 38 (1), 26–29.

Strobel, M. M., Houser, D. S., Moore, K. T., Mann, D. A., Finneran, J. J., Clough, M. R., Staggs, L. A., Eskelinen, H. C., Bates, R. J., Walsh, M. T. ( in review ). Auditory evoked potentials and behavioral considerations with hearing loss in small cetaceans: Application as a standard diagnostic test in health assessment. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine ,

Zaias, J., Bradley, C., Richardson, J., Eskelinen, H., Ikpatt, F., & Cray, C. ( in print ). Evaluating Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) leukocyte differential counts using the CellaVision DM96 and manual method. Veterinary Clinical Pathology .

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Essays on Dolphin

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A Research of The Intentions and Reasons for Humans to Hunt, Kill, Slaughter, and Sell Dolphins

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research paper topics about dolphins

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Haddock, A., Sørensen, P.M., Guarino, E., Jaakkola, K., McMullen, C., Jensen, F.H., Tyack, P.L., & King, S.L. (2023, March). Anthropogenic Noise Affects Cooperation In Bottlenose Dolphins. Paper presented at the 2023 joint meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, Atlanta, GA.  Awarded First Place in Research Advancements.

Guarino, E., Haddock, A., McMullen, C., Brignac, S., Jaakkola, K., & Linaje, K. (2023, March). Dolphins In Facilities Are Instrumental In Developing Field Research Techniques. Poster presented at the 2023 joint meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, Atlanta, GA.

Brignac, S.E., Erb, L., Guarino, E., Haddock, A., Jaakkola, J.,  & Rodrizuez, M. (2023, March).Does Trainer Interaction Improve Welfare Outcomes Of Toy Enrichment For Isolated Animals?  Paper presented at the 2023 joint meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, Atlanta, GA.

Sørensen, P. M., Haddock, A., Guarino, E., Jaakkola, K., McMullen, C., Jensen, F., Tyack, P. L., & King, S. L. (2022, August).  Anthropogenic Noise Impairs Cooperation in Bottlenose Dolphins. Paper presented at the 2022 Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, West Palm Beach, FL (Virtual).

Guarino, E., Frye, A., Hill, C., Beal, A., & Linaje, K. (2022, August). Cetacean Aerial Survey Project.  Poster presented at the 2022 Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, West Palm Beach, FL.

McMullen, C., Guarino, E., Haddock, A., Brignac, S., Jaakkola, K., & Belden, N. (2022, August). Interpreting the “Minds in the Water” - Incorporating Research Topics Into Everyday Public Presentations. Poster presented at the 2022 Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, West Palm Beach, FL.

Belden, N., Erb, L., Browne, K., & Fox, J. (2022, August). Connecting the Public to Marine Mammals, Research, and Conservation During a Pandemic. Poster presented at the 2022 Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference, West Palm Beach, FL.

Sørensen, P. M., Haddock, A., Guarino, E., Jaakkola, K., McMullen, C., Tyack, P. L., & King, S. L. (2021, April). Anthropogenic noise impairs cooperation in bottlenose dolphins. Paper presented at the 2021 Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Conference (virtual).

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Donegan, K., McMullen, C., & King, S. (2021, April). In Sync or Vocal? How Bottlenose Dolphins Coordinate in a Cooperative Task. Paper presented at the 2021 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL (Virtual).

King, S.L., Guarino, E., Donegan, K., McMullen, C., & Jaakkola, K. (2019, December).  Vocal communication facilitates coordination and cooperative success in dolphins. Paper presented at the 2019 World Marine Mammal Conference, Barcelona, Spain.

Guarino, E., Donegan, K., McMullen, C., Jaakkola, K., & Belden, N. (2019, September). Interpreting the “Minds in the Water” - Incorporating Research Topics Into Everyday Public Presentations. Poster presented at the 2019 joint meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, New Orleans, LA.  Awarded Second Place in Poster Presentations.

Walsh, M.T., Whitaker, B, Ge, Y., Gong, M., Clough, P., Wells, R.S., Marquardt, S., Alder, L., Dailey, R., Malaqamba, M.J.R., Bikash, S., Pelton, C., & Moharnadzadeh, M. (2019, May). A Comparison of Standard Clinical Microbiology Diagnostic Techniques to High Throughput Sequencing Using 16s rRNA Gene Analysis in Wild, Sea Side and Aquarium Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and the Water They Inhabit.  Paper presented at the 2019 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Durban, South Africa.

Guarino, E., Salomons, H., & Jaakkola, K. (2018, October).  Not just a cue: Dolphins understand human pointing as a referential means of directing attention in an imitation task. Poster presented at the 2018 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Algarve, Portugal.

Jaakkola, K. & Guarino, E. (2017, April). Not just response facilitation: Dolphins can choose to copy THAT one. Paper presented at the 2017 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL.

Walsh, M.T., Pelton C., Friday, R., Martin, K., Erb, L., Marquardt, S., (2016, May). Attachment-Like Disorder in Orphaned or Stranded Juvenile and Neonatal Cetaceans: Behavioral and Medical Considerations in Support of Mental Wellness Development. Paper presented at the 2016 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Virginia Beach, VA.

Montano, G.A., Robeck, T.R., Steinman, K.J., Clough, P., O’Brien, J.K., (2016, May). Characterization of Follicular Recruitment and Growth Using Endocrine and Ultrasound Evaluation in the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Paper presented at the 2016 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Virginia Beach, VA.

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Hecksher, J., & Donegan, K. (2015, September).   How do you fight the claim that dolphins are “forced to work all day”?...With data! Poster presented at the 2015 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, New Providence Island, Bahamas. 

Strobel, M.M, Houser, D.S., Moore, K.T., Mann, D.A., Finneran, J.J., Clough, P.L., Davis, M.R., Staggs, L.A., Eskelinen, H.C., Bates, R.J., Walsh, M.T., (2016, May). Auditory Evoked Potentials and Behavioral Considerations with Hearing Loss in Small Cetaceans: Application as a Standard Diagnostic Test in Health Assessment. Paper presented at the 2016 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Virginia Beach, VA.

Jaakkola, K., & Stafford, G. (2015, September).  Inappropriate handling of data, invalid comparisons, and unsupported conclusions:  Comments on “Captive killer whale (Orcinus orca) survival” by Jett and Ventre (2015). Special presentation at the 2015 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, New Providence Island, Bahamas. 

Jaakkola, K. (2015, October).   Understanding the role of marine mammal facilities in today’s conservation landscape:  Answering the activists’ claims. Paper presented at the 2015 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, New Providence Island, Bahamas. Awarded Second Place in Education and Conservation

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Keaton, L., Erb, L., & King, S. L. (2015, August). Hey Baby: Signature whistle use facilitates calf retrieval in a female bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Paper presented at Behavior 2015, Cairns, Australia.

Jaakkola, K., Keaton, L., Erb, L., Guarino, E., & King, S. L. (2015, April). Getting the baby:  How a dolphin mother calls her wandering calf. Paper presented at the 2015 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL.

Ivancic, M., Johnson, S., Costidis, A.M., Renner, M.S., (2015, April). A Technique for Ultrasound-Guided Catheterization of a Peripheral Vein in the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Paper presented at the 2015 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Guarino, E., Jaakkola, K., Rodriguez, M., Erb, L., & Hecksher, J. (2014, September).  Quizzing the minds in the water:  Training a game to learn about dolphin cognition.  Poster presented at the 2014 joint meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Orlando, FL.  Awarded Second Place in Poster Presentations.

Jaakkola, K., Keaton, L., Erb, L., & Guarino, E.  (2014, September). Go get the baby:  A dolphin’s use of signature whistles to retrieve her wandering calf. Paper presented at the 2014 joint meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Orlando, FL.

Guarino, E., Hecksher, J., Rodriguez, M., Jaakkola, K., & Erb, L. (2013, September).  Exploring the minds in the water:  Highlighting dolphin intelligence as an interactive program.  Poster presented at the 2013 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Las Vegas, NV. Awarded First Place in Poster Presentations

Clemons-Chevis, C.L., Clough, P., Xie, H., (2012, May). The Use of Traditional Chinese Herbal Formulas in the Long Term Management of an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Paper presented at the 2012 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Atlanta, GA.

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Rodriguez, M., & Hecksher, J. (2011, November/December). Multiple perceptual routes to imitation in a bottlenose dolphin. Poster presented at the Nineteenth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Tampa, FL.

Rodriguez, K. J., Erb, L. S., Clough, P., Guarino, E., Jaakkola, K., & Renner, M. (2011, September). It took a village to raise this child! The story of Gypsi, a little dolphin with a big eating disorder. Paper presented at the 2011 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Miami, FL.

Skjegstad, J., Lang, D., Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Rodriguez, M., Hecksher, J., & Erb, L. (2011, September). What's a DESY? And does Lucy know he's playing with dolphins? Enrichment as entertainment: For dolphins and guests. Paper presented at the 2011 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Miami, FL. Awarded First Place in Behavioral Training

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Rodriguez, M., & Hecksher, J. (2011, July). Flexible strategies for blindfolded imitation in a bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Paper presented at Behavior 2011: The joint meeting of the Animal Behavior Society and the International Ethological Conference, Bloomington, IN

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., & Rodriguez, M. (2011, March). Exploring blindfolded imitation in a bottlenose dolphin. Invited paper at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, New Orleans, LA.

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., & Rodriguez, M. (2010, December). I can do that blindfolded: A dolphin's use of sound cues to imitate motor behaviors. Paper presented at the 2010 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Boston, MA. Awarded First Place in Research Advancements

Rodriguez, M., Guarino, E., Erb, L., & Jaakkola, K. (2010, December). Studying the minds in the water: Practical tips for conducting cognitive research with marine mammals. Paper presented at the 2010 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Boston, MA.

Clemons-Chevis, C.L., Clough, P., (2010, May). Assessment of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Using Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Techniques. Paper presented at the 2010 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Guarino, E., Jaakkola, K., & Rodriguez, M. (2010, March). Blindfolded imitation in a bottlenose dolphin. Poster presented at the 2010 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL.

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., Rodriguez, M., & Erb, L. (2010, March). The voodoo bucket: Dolphins' consistent but unexplained response pattern in a spatial cognition task. Paper presented at the 2010 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL.

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., & Rodriguez, M. (2009, November). Do what you hear: A dolphin's use of sound cues to imitate motor behaviors. Paper presented at the 2009 Fall Meeting of the Comparative Cognition Society, Boston, MA.

Renner, M.S., Clough, P., (2009, May). Novel Methods to Provide Nourishment to an Adult Male California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) With Dysphagia. Paper presented at the 2009 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, San Antonio, TX.

Jaakkola, K., Guarino, E., & Rodriguez, M. (2008, March). A mouse in the hand: What dolphins still don't know about hidden objects. Paper presented at the 2008 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL.

Jaakkola, K. (2007, July). What do dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) understand about hidden objects? Paper presented at the 44th annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, Burlington, VT.

Muraco, H., Arn, D., Clough, P., (2007, May). Cooperation Among Small Facilities Leads to Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Artificial Insemination Success. Paper presented at the 2007 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Orlando, FL.

Jaakkola, K. (2006, March). Can dolphins learn the shell game? A test of physical reasoning in a marine mammal. Paper presented at the 2006 International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne Beach, FL.

Jaakkola, K. (2005, November). A Baby's Breath: What Respiration Rates can tell us about Newborn Bottlenose Dolphins. Paper presented at the 2005 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Duck Key, Florida.

Jaakkola, R., Fellner, W., Erb, L., & Rodriguez, A. M. (2003, December). Double-checking the answers: A bottlenose dolphin's metacognitive response in a test of "Less". Paper presented at the Fifteenth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Greensboro, NC.

Jaakkola, R. (2002, March). What dolphins can tell us about the evolution of language. Paper presented at the Fourth International Conference on the Evolution of Language, Cambridge, MA.

Erb, L., Fellner, W., Rodriguez, M., Sugarman, P., & Jaakkola, R. (2001, October). Conducting “numbers” research training at the Dolphin Research Center. Paper presented at the 2001 meeting of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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American Psychological Association

How to cite ChatGPT

Timothy McAdoo

Use discount code STYLEBLOG15 for 15% off APA Style print products with free shipping in the United States.

We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.

Quoting or reproducing the text created by ChatGPT in your paper

If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.

Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software

The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.

The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:

  • Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
  • Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):

Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.

Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.

Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.

The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.

Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.

Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).

Other questions about citing ChatGPT

You may have noticed the confidence with which ChatGPT described the ideas of brain lateralization and how the brain operates, without citing any sources. I asked for a list of sources to support those claims and ChatGPT provided five references—four of which I was able to find online. The fifth does not seem to be a real article; the digital object identifier given for that reference belongs to a different article, and I was not able to find any article with the authors, date, title, and source details that ChatGPT provided. Authors using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for research should consider making this scrutiny of the primary sources a standard process. If the sources are real, accurate, and relevant, it may be better to read those original sources to learn from that research and paraphrase or quote from those articles, as applicable, than to use the model’s interpretation of them.

We’ve also received a number of other questions about ChatGPT. Should students be allowed to use it? What guidelines should instructors create for students using AI? Does using AI-generated text constitute plagiarism? Should authors who use ChatGPT credit ChatGPT or OpenAI in their byline? What are the copyright implications ?

On these questions, researchers, editors, instructors, and others are actively debating and creating parameters and guidelines. Many of you have sent us feedback, and we encourage you to continue to do so in the comments below. We will also study the policies and procedures being established by instructors, publishers, and academic institutions, with a goal of creating guidelines that reflect the many real-world applications of AI-generated text.

For questions about manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics, the APA Style team is seeking the recommendations of APA Journals editors. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on this blog and on the APA Style site later this year.

Update: APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials .

We, the APA Style team humans, appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique challenges and new ways of thinking about how authors, researchers, and students learn, write, and work with new technologies.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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Study reveals ways in which 40Hz sensory stimulation may preserve brain’s “white matter”

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Two panels show red-stained cells, the left labeled "Control," the right labeled "40Hz." There are many more cells in the right-hand panel.

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Early-stage trials in Alzheimer’s disease patients and studies in mouse models of the disease have suggested positive impacts on pathology and symptoms from exposure to light and sound presented at the “gamma” band frequency of 40 hertz (Hz). A new study zeroes in on how 40Hz sensory stimulation helps to sustain an essential process in which the signal-sending branches of neurons, called axons, are wrapped in a fatty insulation called myelin. Often called the brain’s “white matter,” myelin protects axons and insures better electrical signal transmission in brain circuits.

“Previous publications from our lab have mainly focused on neuronal protection,” says Li-Huei Tsai , Picower Professor in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and senior author of the new open-access study in Nature Communications . Tsai also leads MIT’s Aging Brain Initiative. “But this study shows that it’s not just the gray matter, but also the white matter that’s protected by this method.”

This year Cognito Therapeutics, the spinoff company that licensed MIT’s sensory stimulation technology, published phase II human trial results in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease indicating that 40Hz light and sound stimulation significantly slowed the loss of myelin in volunteers with Alzheimer’s. Also this year, Tsai’s lab published a study showing that gamma sensory stimulation helped mice withstand neurological effects of chemotherapy medicines, including by preserving myelin. In the new study, members of Tsai’s lab led by former postdoc Daniela Rodrigues Amorim used a common mouse model of myelin loss — a diet with the chemical cuprizone — to explore how sensory stimulation preserves myelination.

Amorim and Tsai’s team found that 40Hz light and sound not only preserved myelination in the brains of cuprizone-exposed mice, it also appeared to protect oligodendrocytes (the cells that myelinate neural axons), sustain the electrical performance of neurons, and preserve a key marker of axon structural integrity. When the team looked into the molecular underpinnings of these benefits, they found clear signs of specific mechanisms including preservation of neural circuit connections called synapses; a reduction in a cause of oligodendrocyte death called “ferroptosis;” reduced inflammation; and an increase in the ability of microglia brain cells to clean up myelin damage so that new myelin could be restored.

“Gamma stimulation promotes a healthy environment,” says Amorim, who is now a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Galway in Ireland. “There are several ways we are seeing different effects.”

The findings suggest that gamma sensory stimulation may help not only Alzheimer’s disease patients but also people battling other diseases involving myelin loss, such as multiple sclerosis, the authors wrote in the study.

Maintaining myelin

To conduct the study, Tsai and Amorim’s team fed some male mice a diet with cuprizone and gave other male mice a normal diet for six weeks. Halfway into that period, when cuprizone is known to begin causing its most acute effects on myelination, they exposed some mice from each group to gamma sensory stimulation for the remaining three weeks. In this way they had four groups: completely unaffected mice, mice that received no cuprizone but did get gamma stimulation, mice that received cuprizone and constant (but not 40Hz) light and sound as a control, and mice that received cuprizone and also gamma stimulation.

After the six weeks elapsed, the scientists measured signs of myelination throughout the brains of the mice in each group. Mice that weren’t fed cuprizone maintained healthy levels, as expected. Mice that were fed cuprizone and didn’t receive 40Hz gamma sensory stimulation showed drastic levels of myelin loss. Cuprizone-fed mice that received 40Hz stimulation retained significantly more myelin, rivaling the health of mice never fed cuprizone by some, but not all, measures.

The researchers also looked at numbers of oligodendrocytes to see if they survived better with sensory stimulation. Several measures revealed that in mice fed cuprizone, oligodendrocytes in the corpus callosum region of the brain (a key point for the transit of neural signals because it connects the brain’s hemispheres) were markedly reduced. But in mice fed cuprizone and also treated with gamma stimulation, the number of cells were much closer to healthy levels.

Electrophysiological tests among neural axons in the corpus callosum showed that gamma sensory stimulation was associated with improved electrical performance in cuprizone-fed mice who received gamma stimulation compared to cuprizone-fed mice left untreated by 40Hz stimulation. And when researchers looked in the anterior cingulate cortex region of the brain, they saw that MAP2, a protein that signals the structural integrity of axons, was much better preserved in mice that received cuprizone and gamma stimulation compared to cuprizone-fed mice who did not.

A key goal of the study was to identify possible ways in which 40Hz sensory stimulation may protect myelin.

To find out, the researchers conducted a sweeping assessment of protein expression in each mouse group and identified which proteins were differentially expressed based on cuprizone diet and exposure to gamma frequency stimulation. The analysis revealed distinct sets of effects between the cuprizone mice exposed to control stimulation and cuprizone-plus-gamma mice.

A highlight of one set of effects was the increase in MAP2 in gamma-treated cuprizone-fed mice. A highlight of another set was that cuprizone mice who received control stimulation showed a substantial deficit in expression of proteins associated with synapses. The gamma-treated cuprizone-fed mice did not show any significant loss, mirroring results in a 2019 Alzheimer’s 40Hz study that showed synaptic preservation. This result is important, the researchers wrote, because neural circuit activity, which depends on maintaining synapses, is associated with preserving myelin. They confirmed the protein expression results by looking directly at brain tissues.

Another set of protein expression results hinted at another important mechanism: ferroptosis. This phenomenon, in which errant metabolism of iron leads to a lethal buildup of reactive oxygen species in cells, is a known problem for oligodendrocytes in the cuprizone mouse model. Among the signs was an increase in cuprizone-fed, control stimulation mice in expression of the protein HMGB1, which is a marker of ferroptosis-associated damage that triggers an inflammatory response. Gamma stimulation, however, reduced levels of HMGB1.

Looking more deeply at the cellular and molecular response to cuprizone demyelination and the effects of gamma stimulation, the team assessed gene expression using single-cell RNA sequencing technology. They found that astrocytes and microglia became very inflammatory in cuprizone-control mice but gamma stimulation calmed that response. Fewer cells became inflammatory and direct observations of tissue showed that microglia became more proficient at clearing away myelin debris, a key step in effecting repairs.

The team also learned more about how oligodendrocytes in cuprizone-fed mice exposed to 40Hz sensory stimulation managed to survive better. Expression of protective proteins such as HSP70 increased and as did expression of GPX4, a master regulator of processes that constrain ferroptosis.

In addition to Amorim and Tsai, the paper’s other authors are Lorenzo Bozzelli, TaeHyun Kim, Liwang Liu, Oliver Gibson, Cheng-Yi Yang, Mitch Murdock, Fabiola Galiana-Meléndez, Brooke Schatz, Alexis Davison, Md Rezaul Islam, Dong Shin Park, Ravikiran M. Raju, Fatema Abdurrob, Alissa J. Nelson, Jian Min Ren, Vicky Yang and Matthew P. Stokes.

Fundacion Bancaria la Caixa, The JPB Foundation, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation, Lester A. Gimpelson, Eduardo Eurnekian, The Dolby Family, Kathy and Miguel Octavio, the Marc Haas Foundation, Ben Lenail and Laurie Yoler, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health provided funding for the study.

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Research Finds That Cats Feel Grief When Their Fellow Pets Die... Even Dogs

"cats do have feelings.", tears of a cat.

In a new study, researchers found that cats seem to experience grief when other pets they live with die — and those feelings can even extend to their frenemies, dogs.

As  NPR reports , researchers from Michigan's Oakland University found that after another cat or dog in their household passed away, cats ate and played less than normal. With those behaviors being associated with grief in humans, these findings could suggest that cats experience something akin to mourning after the animals around them die.

Published in the journal  Applied Animal Behaviour Science , this study conducted by psychologists is one of the only known papers dealing with the emotional states of domesticated cats. Jennifer Vonk, an OU psychology professor who co-authored the paper, told NPR she only knew of one other that dealt with grief in housecats .

For their study, Vonk and coauthor Brittany Greene spoke to 412 cat caregivers and asked them how their pet behaved after either another cat or a dog in their household had died. On average, the caregivers said that regardless of the species of their fellow pets, the cats wanted both more attention and time alone, ate less, slept more, and — perhaps most heartbreakingly — would look around for the animal that had passed.

Essentially, the cats behaved akin to the way we humans do when we grieve — which runs counter to the increasingly challenged notion that cats don't have deep feelings .

Not Like Us

While the cats didn't exhibit "huge changes" to their personalities, Vonk said that the findings were in line with studies that had looked into grief in dogs , which are both believed to be more social and have generally been studied more regularly .

"For me, the most compelling finding is that when cats were reported to change their behavior in ways that would be consistent with what we would expect for grief," Vonk told NPR . "It’s predicted by things like the length of time that the animals lived together or the amount of time that they had spent together engaged in various activities or the quality of their relationships."

As the psychologist notes, there could be some confounding factors at play in the study's design — not least that pet owners may have been projecting their own grief onto their feline companions or that the cats may have been trying to console their humans (which is probably the sweetest thing we've heard all week).

A cat person herself, Vonk said that her research has also uncovered some new personal ideas and feelings about the animals.

"Maybe it’s more likely than I thought before that cats do have those feelings," she told  NPR .

More on cats: Mutation Has Led to a New Type of Cat, Scientists Say

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Women in Psychiatry 2024: Computational Psychiatry

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Frontiers in Psychiatry is proud to launch this year's Women in Psychiatry: Computational Psychiatry collection to showcasing recent research advances from women across the entire breadth of Computational Psychiatry - presenting advances in theory, experiment, and methodology. This Research Topic is seeking submissions exploring psychiatric disorders through computational modeling of brain or behavior with using data with using data. Suggested topics include psychiatric taxonomy, the utilization of computational work with brain histology, multimodal neuroimaging, papers exploring clinical applications, the emerging field of psychoradiology, computational and statistical methodologies, machine learning approaches, new computational and statistical approaches and translational medicine. At present, less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women. Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are discouraging girls and women away from science-related fields, and STEM research in particular. Science and gender equality are essential to ensure sustainable development. In order to change traditional mindsets, gender equality must be promoted, stereotypes defeated, and girls and women should be encouraged to pursue STEM careers. Please note: to be considered for this collection, the first or last author should be a researcher who identifies as a woman.

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COMMENTS

  1. Human impacts on dolphins: Physiological effects and conservation

    During the period 1985-2020, 26% of identifiable causes of death for Sarasota Bay dolphins have resulted from human interactions (G.N. Lovewell, pers. comm.). Research on Sarasota Bay dolphins began in 1970 and became the world's longest-running dolphin conservation research program (Wells, 2020). During the first 50 years of this study, the ...

  2. Research Spotlight

    Dolphin Research Center collaborated with researchers from Duke University and Dolphin Quest to study Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) in bottlenose dolphins. This is the first published study that uses the doubly-labeled water method to measure TEE with this species. ... In this paper, an international team of scientists examined the major flaws ...

  3. Evidence that bottlenose dolphins can communicate with vocal signals to

    2.1. Subjects. Experiments were conducted at Dolphin Research Center (DRC) in Grassy Key, Florida between January 2018 and August 2019. The subjects were four common bottlenose dolphins: Aleta (female, 33 years old) and Calusa (female, 17 years old) who formed dyad 1; and Delta (male, 9 years old) and Reese (male, 7 years old) who formed dyad 2.

  4. Areas Of Study

    When DRC's founders took over the facility in 1984, research remained a high priority. We have since expanded our in-house research goals, and also worked with world-renowned scientists who have come to DRC to study our resident colony of dolphins. DRC's research program focuses on three main areas: Cognition, Behavior and Husbandry.

  5. 49 questions with answers in DOLPHINS

    4 answers. Oct 25, 2016. First photo is electron micrograph of dolphin stomach infected with a digenean parasite, and the other two are electron micrographs of intestine of Sprague-Dawley rat ...

  6. Scientific Publications

    Scientific Publications Read about all the work we have conducted and published to date in peer reviewed scientific journals.To download any of the scientific articles that are available below, simply click on "Download This Article" for a full text version of the article, in pdf format. Please email us at [email protected] should you need assistance.

  7. (PDF) How intelligent are dolphins? A partial answer based on their

    The studies reported in this paper demonstrate planning behaviors in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in conditions quite different from those that occur during dolphin foraging and mating ...

  8. Hot Topics

    Dolphin Research Center and all of the more than 60 members of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (the Alliance) condemn the mass killings of dolphins in the Japanese drive fisheries and the annual hunts in the Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark. For many years, we have educated visitors from around the world about these hunts ...

  9. Dolphin Communication and Cognition

    9780262331852. In Special Collection: CogNet. Publication date: 2015. Experts survey the latest research on dolphin communication and cognition, offering a comprehensive reference to findings in the laboratory and from the field. Dolphin researchers have collected an impressive amount of data over the last twenty years, thanks to advances in ...

  10. Dolphin Social Intelligence

    Dolphin Intelligence in the Wild. Dolphin Communication. Social Intelligence and Group Cohesion. Dolphins and Sex. The Cognitive and Affective Skills Involved in Group Living. Conclusion: Dolphin Intelligence

  11. PDF Dolphin Cognition: Representations and Processes in Memory and Perception

    From a psychological perspective, a dolphin's experiences are a function of its mental capacities, especially those processes that relate to memories, percepts, thoughts, and emotions. This paper reviews what is currently known about dolphins' cognitive abilities, focusing on how they perceive and remember events.

  12. Dolphin Research: Continue Captivity

    Dolphin Research: Educating the Public I FEEL COMPELLED TO RESPOND TO THE NEWS Focus story "Are dolphins too smart for captivity?" (D. Grimm, 29 April, p. 526). I conducted the study showing mirror self-recognition in dolphins, and Lori Marino and I coauthored the paper that appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in ...

  13. Current Research Projects

    Current Research Projects. Scientists associated with the Dolphin Communication Project are busy conducting research on a number of different dolphin species at numerous locations around the world. While Kathleen Dudzinski's main focus has always been on dolphin-to-dolphin communication, DCP's other team members, collaborators and students ...

  14. (PDF) Research on whales, dolphins, and porpoises

    Whales, dolphins, and porpoises, also known as. cetaceans, belong to the Order Cetacea, consisting of. ≈ 90 live species found throughout the world's oceans. and freshwaters. Cetaceans are the ...

  15. Dolphins News, Research and Analysis

    Drones gather new and useful data for marine research, but they can disturb whales and dolphins. Jaclyn A. Aubin, University of Windsor. Drones are a new technology that help researchers observe ...

  16. Dolphin cognition: Representations and processes in memory and perception

    Many people agree that dolphins are sentient beings, but few would claim to know what being a dolphin is like. From a psychological perspective, a dolphin's experiences are a function of its mental capacities, especially those processes that relate to memories, percepts, thoughts, and emotions. This paper reviews what is currently known about dolphins' cognitive abilities, focusing on how ...

  17. PDF What Laboratory Research has Told Us about Dolphin Cognition

    What Laboratory Research has Told Us about Dolphin Cognition. Louis M. Herman University of Hawaii and The Dolphin Institute, U.S.A. Studies of sensory, cognitive, and communicative skills of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were carried out over a 34-year period at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu.

  18. Dolphin Research: Continue Captivity

    Marino is also wrong on dolphin life spans. A comparison of their life spans in Alliance member facilities and peer-reviewed, published papers on animals in the wild confirms that dolphins in U.S. parks and aquariums live almost twice as long as those in our oceans and bays (3-5).It's no wonder; these animals get state-of-the art medical care, are well fed, and have no worries about becoming ...

  19. Our Research Topics

    When you think "research on dolphins" you may imagine some sort of invasive medical testing laboratory - but that's not what dolphin research looks like in real life! Instead, we accomplish all of our research with non-invasive methods, many dedicated hours from our staff scientists, and - suprisingly - equipment you can buy at your local stores.

  20. Dolphin Research Articles

    Evaluating Atlantic bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus) leukocyte differential counts using the CellaVision DM96 and manual method. Veterinary Clinical Pathology. phone. Browse informative research articles hosted by Dolphins Plus in Key Largo, FL. Dolphins Plus is a certified dolphin research facility in the Florida Keys.

  21. What laboratory research has told us about dolphin cognition.

    What laboratory research has told us about dolphin cognition. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 23(3), 310-330. Abstract. Studies of sensory, cognitive, and communicative skills of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were carried out over a 34-year period at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu.

  22. Long-distance relationship revealed in the seemingly ...

    The research team also made the surprising discovery of two bowhead whales diving in synchrony over the course of a week at a time, even when they were around one hundred kilometers apart.

  23. ≡Essays on Dolphin. Free Examples of Research Paper Topics, Titles

    An Overview of The Bottlenose Dolphin. 2 pages / 1089 words. The Bottlenose Dolphin is a species of dolphin and is part of the kingdom animalia, they are vertebrates because they have backbones, they are multicellular, and depend on respiration for energy. They are in the phylum Chordata because they have a backbone, they belong to...

  24. Conference Presentations

    Dolphin Research Center's scientists regularly present at conferences about our research work. ... Jaakkola, K., & Belden, N. (2022, August). Interpreting the "Minds in the Water" - Incorporating Research Topics Into Everyday Public Presentations. ... Sugarman, P., & Jaakkola, R. (2001, October). Conducting "numbers" research training ...

  25. Scientists discover ancient giant dolphin in depths of Amazon

    They state in a new scientific paper that the Pebanista would have been measured between 3 and 3.5 metres, making it the largest freshwater dolphin to have been found.

  26. How to cite ChatGPT

    In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we'll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor ...

  27. Study reveals ways in which 40Hz sensory stimulation may preserve brain

    Early-stage trials in Alzheimer's disease patients and studies in mouse models of the disease have suggested positive impacts on pathology and symptoms from exposure to light and sound presented at the "gamma" band frequency of 40 hertz (Hz). A new study zeroes in on how 40Hz sensory stimulation helps to sustain an essential process in which the signal-sending branches of neurons, called ...

  28. Research Finds That Cats Feel Grief When Their Fellow Pets ...

    "Cats do have feelings." Tears of a Cat. In a new study, researchers found that cats seem to experience grief when other pets they live with die — and those feelings can even extend to their ...

  29. Women in Psychiatry 2024: Computational Psychiatry

    Frontiers in Psychiatry is proud to launch this year's Women in Psychiatry: Computational Psychiatry collection to showcasing recent research advances from women across the entire breadth of Computational Psychiatry - presenting advances in theory, experiment, and methodology. This Research Topic is seeking submissions exploring psychiatric disorders through computational modeling of brain or ...