Author of the popular biweekly column "Naturally Speaking" for the Hilton Head Island Packet, CARA GUBBINS holds a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology from the University of Nevada Reno. Gubbins’ research has been featured on CNN's "Science and Technology Week," the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic specials. Results of her work are regularly reported in the print media as well as in international scientific journals. Gubbins lives in Valrico, Florida.
Preface
One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection in an eye other than human.--Loren Eisley, scientist and author
Dolphins have always fascinated us. Centuries ago, someone must have looked into the eye of a dolphin and seen herself there, beginning the endless attraction between our two species. This glimpse of oneself in a dolphin’s eye probably occurs daily somewhere in the world. Firmly rooted in our collective consciousness, appearing in our myths, art, and literature for millennia, dolphins seem to embody all the traits that we have and those to which we aspire. Their graceful form and joyful athleticism win our hearts, and the attraction remains.
What is it that attracts humans to dolphins and other animals? E. O. Wilson, the Harvard University sociobiologist and author, believes that there is a genetic basis for our love of animals, something embedded in the very cells of our bodies that drive us to touch and interact with wild and domesticated animals. He calls this inherent tendency to focus on and affiliate with other life forms "biophilia." According to Wilson, our relationships with animals form a fundamental part of our existence.
Modern people have a strong need to establish some kind of personal contact with wild animals, perhaps to end the "long loneliness" that the anthropologist and author Loren Eisley believes is the legacy of our evolution from our animal roots. Maybe we want to reach out and touch some primitive part of ourselves that we cannot access today. In a 1968 article, zoologist and author Desmond Morris recalls his first visit to a zoo: "That visit did more for my later interest in animals than a hundred films or a thousand books. The animals were real and near. If zoos disappear, I fear the vast urban population will become so physically remote from animal life that they will eventually cease to care about it."
People are still seeking similar experiences with wild animals today. Each year, thousands of us seek dolphins on tours around Hilton Head Island. Are we looking for an experience of communion with a foreign (or not so foreign) consciousness? The African conservationist and author Geza Teleki experienced this as he watched a pair of chimps as they watched a stunning sunset over Lake Tanganyika. Later he wrote that the moment had "marked the twilight of my youth, I had seen my species inside the skin of another." It seems the more we learn about animals, the more they appear to be like us and we appear to be like them. The more we learn about dolphins, the more kindred our spirits.
Thirty-four of the seventy-nine species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) belong to the family Delphinidae—the dolphins. Bottlenose dolphins, the species seen commonly in the waters around Hilton Head Island and the species most people picture when they hear the word dolphin, are found throughout the world in temperate and tropical waters. Research conducted over the last twenty years has resulted in huge leaps in our understanding of all aspects of bottlenose dolphin biology. Until recently, these advances were not readily available to the public, whose information lags decades behind the research. This book is a step toward bridging that gap, offering cutting-edge information to all those interested in learning more about dolphins. The Dolphins of Hilton Head: Their Natural History was written for the people drawn to Hilton Head and its dolphins, people who have seen and been touched by the dolphins.
This book is divided into three chapters. In the first, "Natural History of Hilton Head Dolphins," I define the term marine mammal and illustrate where Hilton Head dolphins fit into the global scheme of all marine mammals. Next, I detail the evolution of dolphin species and focus on the adaptations dolphins have made from an early terrestrial to aquatic environment. The life cycle of Hilton Head dolphins from birth through reproduction to death is outlined, and the chapter concludes with information on communication, echolocation, and intelligence. The second chapter, "Unique Characteristics of Hilton Head Dolphins," highlights the aspects of the dolphins that make them unique. I illustrate the relationships among environment, behavior, and social structure, focusing on the behaviors that the reader is likely to observe. The third chapter, "Dolphin Conservation," outlines the threats to local dolphins and the steps citizens can take to minimize their impact on dolphins and their fragile environment. In the two appendixes I answer commonly asked questions about dolphins and dispel some long-held dolphin myths. The bibliography provides related reading and websites.
