Do dolphins have ears?
Yes, dolphins have ears, but they do not have external ear flaps (pinnae) like humans do. Instead, they have tiny, pinhole-sized openings behind their eyes. But those holes are actually kind of useless, since sound not travel from that external ear hole to the inner ear.
Instead, they rely on specialized lower jawbones filled with fat to detect sound vibrations, which are then directly transmitted to the inner ear, allowing them to hear exceptionally well underwater!
With a jawbone on each side of its head, a dolphin can use its jaws much like we use the outer parts of our ears to help determine the direction a sound is coming from.
So yes, dolphins technically have ears, they just decided to outsource the job to their jaws!
photo: @ocean_bethany
What do you know about dolphin anatomy?
Dolphins zoom through the water around 8 to 10 miles per hour, but can reach up to 20 miles per hour when they are cruising fast. Orcas — the largest dolphin species — can reach speeds up to 35 miles per hour!
Their sleek, torpedo-shaped bodies glide through the water. This is called a fusiform shape, and it helps reduce resistance from the water.
Want to learn more? Check out our website at .
Photo: @mcfearsome
Meet Arugula.
She’s identifiable by a large square notch in her dorsal fin, as well as a gash on her peduncle — the narrow part of a dolphin’s body just before the tail flukes. In 2024, she had a new calf.
Hopefully, we'll see her this summer to check if she's pregnant or has a new calf.
We’ve known her since 2013, when we launched a second field site. She was just a young juvenile—curious, social, and always interested in people.
Tuesday was the last day for our spring interns! 🎓🐬
Taylor (left) and Amber (right) wrapped up the semester by presenting posters at Florida Atlantic University about their internship experience with us at WDP. We’re so grateful for all their hard work, curiosity, and help this season!
And stay tuned for an upcoming blog where we sit down with each intern to learn more about them, their interests, and what their experience at WDP was like!
In addition to the spotted dolphins on the Bahamas Banks, we also study bottlenose dolphins.
They’re typically more elusive than Atlantic spotted dolphin and far less tolerant of people in the water. We photograph their dorsal fins from the surface for identification, and if they appear to be feeding and we can enter the water without disturbing them, we’ll observe them more closely.
Occasionally, we also witness social behavior—or even aggressive interactions between males of both species.
Learn more about the bottlenose here: /offshore-and-nearshore-bottlenose-dolphins-whats-the-difference/
📸: @ocean_bethany
Earth Day may be over, but it's still Earth Month. The plastic we use doesn’t just go away. Instead, it ends up in our oceans, where it can harm the dolphins and marine life we care about.
This Atlantic spotted dolphin, photographed by the Wild Dolphin Project, is playing with plastic. We KNOW plastic is something that can be mistaken for food, cause injury or internal blockages if ingested, and even cause entanglement if large enough.
Refuse what you don’t need.
Reuse what you can.
Recycle what’s left.
#CutPlasticForDolphins #WildDolphinProject #OceanConservation #SayNoToPlastic #MarineLifeMatters
Photo: @ocean_bethany
Did you hear the good news?
The House has pulled the ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897) from the floor after facing unexpected opposition, including from several Republican members.
The bill aimed to weaken parts of the Endangered Species Act, especially around how protections can impact development.
For now, existing protections remain in place.
