Using Aerial Behavior to Predict Remora Presence in Hawai'i Island Associated Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris longirostris)
Abstract
Gray’s spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris longirostris) is a species of spinner
dolphin associated with Hawai’i Island. This species has a unique 24-hour schedule
involving traveling offshore to forage at night and then migrating back to shore to
rest in bays during the day. While in these bays, spinner dolphins come in close proximity
to humans. A factor in determining the impact of human interactions with dolphins
in the bay is understanding the behavior of spinner dolphins. Spinner dolphins known
for the aerial behavior of leaping in the air and spinning. There are several hypotheses
as to the function, or functions, of this behavior such as communication or removal
of remoras (Remora australis), which are hydrodynamic parasites that attach to the
body of dolphins and negatively impact their health. This study used a generalized
linear model (GLM) to assess if the aerial behavior of the spinning leap can predict
remora presence on spinner dolphins off the coast of Hawai’i Island. The study found
that the aerial behavior of spinning leaps is not statistically significant in determining
remora presence on a spinner dolphin. This finding compliments other research suggesting
that spinning is not used primarily for remora removal.
Type
Master's projectSubject
Spinner dolphinRemora removal
Hawai'i Island
Aerial behavior
Spinner leap
Generalized Linear Model (GLM)
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/8506Citation
Utley, Lydia (2014). Using Aerial Behavior to Predict Remora Presence in Hawai'i Island Associated Spinner
Dolphins (Stenella longirostris longirostris). Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/8506.Collections
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