Wild Dolphin Societies

Earthwatch - Wild Dolphin Societies
Teachers in the Field

Two Bays, Two Coasts, Two Mammals
A series of lessons and activities relating Sarasota Bay and Narragansett Bay

Activity One:

Maps and information - Sarasota Bay and Narragansett Bay
Using a Venn diagram compare similarities between the two bays

Consider:

human use of the environment/bay area
coastal development
wildlife
pollution
climate
location
introduced species

Activity Two:

Photograph of the seal from: http://seaworld.org/animal_bytes/Images/harborseal.gif

http://omp.gso.uri.edu/doee/biota/mammals/hrbrseal.htm

http://www.nksd.net/schools/dms/Bay/bird1.html

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/cpr/wastesites/states/summaries/rhodeisl.html

http://www.buschgardens.org/infobooks/HarborSeal/home.html

Compare the two marine mammals - Bottlenose Dolphin and Harbor Seal

Location/range of habitat

Physical characteristics

Diet

Adaptations for living in the bay

Predators and problems for survival

Communication

Other interesting facts

Activity Three: Why should we study either the bottlenose dolphin or the harbor seal?

Activity Four: What do scientists investigate? What tools do they use?

GPS - Global Positioning System This gives location in longitude and latitude.	Secchi Disk This measures the clarity of the water. How far down can we see?
Refractometer This measures the salinity in parts per thousand.	Thermometer This measures the temperature of the water.

What information does each device provide?
How is this helpful to scientists?

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