FAREWELL RANGLE, C’MON DIXON

Dolphin Explorer LLC is the proprietor of the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Study Program, sometimes referred to as The Dolphin Study. The team monitors the travel range, social behavior, abundance, health, habits and genealogy of the local bottlenose dolphin population. Our data dates back to the inception of the program in 2006. The study continues…

Since the Fall of 2018, the survey team on board the Dolphin Explorer has documented 32 new bottlenose dolphin calves born in the waters of north Marco Island and surrounding areas. Of those 32 young of year, 28 have survived as of this writing. These little ones account for approximately 25% of the dolphin population that is seen in the area on a regular basis. That’s a lot of growing power for the territory!

As is the case throughout the animal kingdoms of the world, there is a life cycle. Young are born into a society and others pass away. There are a variety of reasons why some don’t survive and sometimes the cause of demise is not very clear. Such is the case with dolphins as well.

On December 13, 2021 we said goodbye to an adult female named Rangle. She was spotted along the beach early on that Monday morning. I was alerted about this issue and a citizen was able to send me a photograph of this dolphin’s dorsal fin, the fin seen when they come to the surface and breathe. It was clear that the fin belonged to Rangle. Specific nicks and notches make her easy to identify.

Communications ensued with the Marco Police Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and a community resource officer. Rangle was taken to the Caxambas Park boat ramp and I spoke with an FWC official on the scene, told her I recognized the fin and further identified Rangle by a scar across the forehead.

Rangle survived quite a severe wound in an accident with a boat just over 10 years ago. Naturally, she survived, and also had a 2-year-old by her side at the time. To make this story more exciting, she was pregnant then and gave birth to a new calf the following fall.

FWC asked for a history of this female and sighting data, which we gratefully provided. We also noted that Rangle had given birth to six offspring in the time that we had been collecting data. They are Ripple, Mocha, Bubbles, Ollie, Piper and Dixon.

FWC noted that she appeared emaciated but there were no exterior signs of trauma. Since then, FWC told me that blood samples taken at the dock would be sent out for analysis to determine a cause of death.

Those results are still pending and we will stay in touch with them.

I noted to FWC that Rangle had an 11-month-old calf by her side when she died. Now, typically, calves will stay with a mother for three to four years before going out on its own. Also, calves generally nurse from their mothers’ milk until they are 18-24 months old. However, at 11 months old, this calf named Dixon was already fishing on its own, in addition to nursing. This is quite common for a dolphin of this age.

In the animal kingdom in general, it is not unusual for an orphan to be adopted by another female. In the dolphin world, documentation dictates that this does happen. In fact, there is a paper regarding a female bottlenose dolphin that adopted a whale calf! Maybe Dixon will find a surrogate to help him for a while.

Dixon has been seen a few times since his mom’s death primarily where he used to feed with her. Our most frequent sighting of Dixon was January 27, 2022. Sometimes he has been seen in the company of other dolphins and other times on his own. He knows how to fish so he might have a good chance at making it on his own, especially if he feeds and socializes with other area dolphins. We will keep you posted.

So, farewell Rangle. You have been a good productive female in our area, leaving a legacy for our team to follow. We have learned from you and look forward to the cause of your loss of life for some closure.

And, c’mon Dixon! You are young but have the skills from a good teacher to keep you going. We look forward to seeing you not just survive, but thrive, as one of our unique success stories!

Bob is a Naturalist on board the dolphin study vessel Dolphin Explorer, departing from Rose Marina. He is also an owner of Wild Florida Ecotours and Fishing at Port of the Islands. In addition to his two published books, he is a two-time award-winning columnist for Coastal Breeze News and a respected speaker in the area. Bob loves his wife very much! dolphin-study.com. wildfloridaecotours.com.