Bottlenose dolphin

..Dolphin Defenders!! & Hi, my name is Bond.. Bottlenose Bond, and my secret mission today is to turn all of you in to..

What is a Dolphin Defender ? A Dolphin Defender is someone who loves dolphins and other animals Is keen to learn more about them and how they live Wants to help protect them, other marine wildlife and the ocean in which they live Is that you??

Sea Watch is a charity that works closely with the public to protect (conserve) whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) in British and Irish waters Who is Sea Watch Foundation ? Phew! That is good news, because I am a porpoise Our research provides important information on changes to their numbers (population size), where they live and the condition of their habitats. This information is used to help conserve and protect these mysterious creatures.

So what do we know about mammals? Breath air Young drink milk Live young Warm blood

Flippers Smooth skin Blubber to keep warm Eat fish and other marine creatures Communicate using sound What about mammals that live in the sea?

3 types of cetacean Porpoises Whales Dolphins

15 SPECIES ARE REGULAR IN UK WATERS Harbour Porpoise, Common Dolphin, White-beaked Dolphin, Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Striped Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Risso’s Dolphin, Long-finned Pilot Whale, Killer Whale, Northern Bottlenose Whale, Sperm Whale, Minke Whale, Fin Whale, Sei Whale & Humpback Whale 11 SPECIES ARE RARE IN UK WATERS Rough-toothed Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Short-finned Pilot Whale, Beluga, Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, Sowerby’s Beaked Whale, True’s Beaked Whale, Blainville’s Beaked Whale, Bowhead Whale & Blue Whale 9 SPECIES ARE VAGRANT IN UK WATERS Fraser’s Dolphin, Melon-headed Whale, False Killer Whale, Narwhal, Gervais’ Beaked Whale, Gray’s Beaked Whale, Pygmy Sperm Whale, Dwarf Sperm Whale & Northern Right Whale KNOW YOUR LOCALS!!!

How many of you make up the length of a blue whale? How long does it take you to run the length of a blue whale? Let’s go outside and find out! Now it’s time to have some fun!!

Do you know what sounds I make? They use sound to talk to each other They use sound to find fish Different types (species) have different sounds

Let’s listen to some of their sounds Humpback whale Right whale Sperm whale Now it’s your turn! Can you hear their sounds over boat noises?

one of the largest bays in the UK containing the least polluted and least exploited waters in Wales 100 km from north to south km 2 nowhere deeper than 60m very gentle slope 100 km Cardigan Bay

The Cardigan Bay SAC ( km 2 ) The Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau SAC (1, km 2 ) Two Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in place since 2004 Cardigan Bay

That’s me! Bottlenose dolphin Atlantic grey seal Harbour porpoise Which whales and dolphins might we see here in Cardigan Bay?

Bottlenose dolphin

The harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena

harbour porpoisebottlenose dolphin Can you remember the difference?

Harbour porpoise & bottlenose dolphin distributions in the Irish Sea widely distributed across the Irish Sea main concentrations in Wales are around principal headlands locally distributed, mainly coastal, particularly in summer main summer concentrations are in Cardigan Bay

Cardigan Bay – hp killings May 2009

The Atlantic grey seal Halichoerus grypus

Atlantic Grey Seal UK hosts 40% of world population North (Bardsey island) and South (Pembrokeshire) of CB have important colonies in Southern Wales population around 5,000

common dolphins Risso’s dolphins minke whales Other species around Wales

Illness because of pollution and rubbish Competition over fish with humans Capture and drowning in fishing nets Becoming stranded on beaches because of noisy Navel ships that use sonar, or drilling Being injured by boat propellers Climate change Hunting A Dolphin Defender needs to know what threats we face so they can help..

So what’s the harm in plastic?

These threats are a real worry and can lead to possible local extinction. However, Sea Watch have a clever trick up their sleeves which sounds very secret agent!! Photo ID

Over its lifetime, a bottlenose dolphin will develop markings on its fins and body through playing or scuffles with other pod members, and from scratching itself against rocks or the seabed. They can be bite marks or sometimes propeller cuts if they get too close to boats. As a secret agent I have MANY girlfriends, and this gorgeous fin belongs to none other than MoneyPenny, who obviously is one of mine The Sea Watch scientists take photos of bottlenose dolphins’ fins and use these distinctive markings and scratches to track them over the years – a little like using fingerprints to ID humans! MoneyPenny

What can you do to help? Report your sightings Adopt a dolphin Reduce rubbish in the sea… …. so don’t litter! …. and clean up rubbish you see on the beach! Chris Nic Nic Flint Topnotch Smoothy Bond

With Sea Watch protecting us we can live safely and happily, and I’ll always have lots of brothers, sisters and cousins to play with! Yeah, and me too

Congratulations you are now a dolphin defender! Thanks for listening!