Welcome Home Cubbie

Cubbie: Male bottlenose dolphin. Born: December 15, 2020. Mother: Halfway

Siblings: Seymour, Simon, Kaya, Skipper, Wyatt, Ben. Uncle of Ariel and Fergie.

Status: Alive and well.

It’s September 28, 2022 and Hurricane Ian has arrived on Florida’s west coast as a severe Category Four storm. Marco Island is looking at a nine-foot surge from Gulf waters pounding the area. Our dolphins that call this region their home are in trouble!

Dolphins are very smart and they know when a storm is coming. Living in coastal salt water habitats, outer rain bands from a hurricane produce a lot of rain (fresh water) that affects the salt content (salinity) and dolphins will realize this change. They will leave the area. But where do they go?

Nobody knows for sure but several theories can be put into play. Going into the gulf, where waves could swell fifteen to twenty feet or more, would be difficult. Dolphins breathe air and fighting the elements to catch a breath could be very, very costly. In the case of Hurricane Ian, traveling north would put them in the rougher water path of Ian. Traveling south would make the most sense.

Our coastal and estuarine dolphins could travel down the Marco River to the south end of the island, turn left away from the storm and enjoy the calmer, cleaner waters heading into Florida Bay. This would make the most logical sense. Is it a proven fact? No, it is not, but it seems to be a great choice.

Back to Cubbie. Being 22 months old when Ian hit here, Cubbie was enjoying life by mom Halfway’s side. Wherever she goes, he goes. This mom is a great teacher and with seven known offspring, she is a seasoned veteran when it comes to storms. Halfway would be at least twenty-seven years old. Cubbie would stay by mom’s side until he turned three, then go out on his own, as his brothers and sisters did in the past.

After Hurricane Ian many of our dolphins took their time returning to the north Marco Island area. There was a lot of bacteria in our waters and the dolphins seemed slow and deliberate coming back to their natal region. Many of them were not documented here for several months. Cubbie was one that was not seen for a long, long time…until February 25th, 2023!

As the Dolphin Explorer survey team was traveling the Marco River on the afternoon of the 25th, several dolphins were seen. Including Kaya, Skipper and Fergie. We identify our dolphins by markings on the dorsal fin, that fin on a dolphin’s back that you see when they come to the surface to breathe. As we identified the dolphins mentioned above, there was a fin among them that looked familiar, but not seen for five months. Sure enough, matching that fin’s markings to our catalog and database, it was definitely Cubbie, back with relatives that he knows well.

There was another sighting of this youngster playing with older brother Wyatt and nephew Ariel on February 26th, and again on the 28th with sister Skipper and nephew Fergie. All three sightings documented that this was, for sure, our young Cubbie. During the second and third sightings in this period, the team looked long and hard for Cubbie’s mom, Halfway, but she has yet to be seen.

Could it be that they became separated and Halfway is still looking for Cubbie?

That is, indeed, a possibility, and could suggest that Halfway might return here sometime in the near future. After all, she raised all of her young in this area. Being a well-seasoned veteran of storms and adversity it would seem unlikely that Halfway did not survive this storm, but it is possible. We know that she is at least 27 years old but could be much older. Our data only goes back to 2004.

If Halfway does not return, Cubbie should be fine. At 26 months old he no longer depends on a mother’s milk for nutrition. He is fishing on his own by now and doing well. The company of dolphins that he knows will also help.

If this is the case, Cubbie is not the first youngster to leave a mother early. Female Avery gave birth to Stefin, a young male, that left mom’s side at nine months old. Stefin has been seen since then, feeding on his own and socializing with other dolphins.

Adult female Rangle passed away in December 2021, leaving 11-month-old Dixon orphaned. Dixon returned to the area where mom taught him to feed and, 14 months later, Dixon was seen on February 27th doing well, socializing with another young calf and its mom. Another exception to the three-year rule of being by a mom’s side.

The team will continue to watch Cubbie and to look for his mom Halfway. Stay tuned for updates regarding all of our dolphins, their behavior and well-being!