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Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a working animal hospital dedicated to the rescue. rehabilitation, and release of marine life and a leader in research and conservation efforts to protect animals in the wild. Donate to support our mission today!

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Wildlife

Mako and Indigo, twin dorsal fins

Dolphin Dorsal Fin Twins Are Not Uncommon

Posted September 20, 2019

Dolphin dorsal fins become marked mainly through natural interactions free of any intentional nick/notch formation, meaning the markings are formed randomly. Even so, we do find “twins” among animals in the wild community.

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Mako, wild dolphin tail flukes

How Scars and Other Body Features Help Identify Dolphins

Updated August 19, 2019 Posted August 18, 2019

Dolphins are air-breathing mammals, this means that about 99.9% of the time, when they surface to breathe, their dorsal fin is visible. For our photo-identification efforts, this makes capturing a photo of a fin relatively easy. Let’s consider, however, how one would identify bottlenose dolphins if a dorsal fin was not visible.

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dolphins, xander and fox

Male Bottlenose Dolphin Pair Bonds Form Long-Lasting Friendships

Updated June 23, 2019 Posted June 20, 2019

Wild Dolphin Updates The Bromance of Bottlenose Dolphins Have you ever wanted to hang out with your best friend all the time? Many male […]

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Everest, dolphin with distinct dorsal fin

What Is a Dolphin’s Dorsal Fin Used For?

Posted May 17, 2019

Wild Dolphin Updates Dorsal Fin Use The dorsal fin helps us identify dolphins in our photo ID survey, but let’s think about how it […]

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Dolphins, Parcel, Bundle, and new calf.

New Young Dolphin Calves Spotted

Updated April 15, 2019 Posted April 14, 2019

We have been gearing up for the arrival of new dolphin calves into our study area. We are excited to announce the birth of Bundle’s second calf!

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Jai dolphin calf

How Three Dolphin Calves Have Changed as They Grew Up

Updated April 14, 2019 Posted March 26, 2019

Wild Dolphin Updates Dolphin Calves Then and Now As we patiently wait for new dolphin calves to arrive this season, we wanted to reflect […]

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Pineapple and her baby dolphin calf

Spring is When We See the Most Baby Dolphins Born

Posted February 19, 2019

Wild Dolphin Updates More Than Half of Newborn Calves Are Observed During Spring Throughout nature, spring marks a period of renewal and growth for […]

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Alon and other wild dolphins

How Wild Dolphin Dorsal Fins Change Over Time

Posted January 14, 2019

One of the most challenging aspects of dorsal identification is positively identifying a fin over time as changed markings to the fin can make a dolphin look, sometimes, significantly different. While some fins are dramatically changed, others are more subtle.

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Wild Dolphins Observed With Dorsal Fin Injuries

Updated December 20, 2018 Posted December 19, 2018

Wild Dolphin Updates Dolphin Calf Seen With Suspected Boat Strike Injury This month we want to remind everyone to operate your vessels in a […]

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wild dolphin

This Dolphin Was Identified With a Mark From 38 Years Ago

Updated September 25, 2019 Posted November 18, 2018

This month we have some exciting information to share! We recently obtained some very interesting historical facts regarding one of the wild dolphins identified in our study as “Peanut.”

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We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation.
We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium
249 Windward Passage
Clearwater, FL 33767
727-441-1790

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A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM, A FL-BASED NONPROFIT CORPORATION (REGISTRATION NO. CH352), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE OR BY VISITING www.800helpfla.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Federal Tax ID#: 59-2086737.

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