The Dolphins of North Inlet: A Rising Tide Project for Grades 10 through 12
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Main

Standards Addressed

Background

Virtual Field Trip

Classroom Activities

  1. Photo-ID
  2. Ecological Role of Bottlenose Dolphins

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Glossary

Teacher Guide

 This activity was developed by Steven Brantley, an undergraduate marine science major at Coastal Carolina University, and Shannon Stone, a high school science teacher at Socastee High School in Horry County, SC.  It is based on their research with Dr. Rob Young, a marine science professor at Coastal Carolina University.  The activity was reviewed by Dr. Young and revised after being tested in the classroom.

Focus Question

What is the ecological role of bottlenose dolphins in a South Carolina salt marsh ecosystem?

Activity Synopsis

Students will investigate the role of bottlenose dolphins in the North Inlet National Estuarine Research Reserve, in South Carolina.  They will use dorsal fin photo-identification, an applied research tool, to track the movements and associations of the North Inlet dolphins.  They will determine the position of dolphins in the salt marsh food web and will calculate the total prey consumed annually by dolphins, as well as the total annual primary production in North Inlet required to support the dolphin population.

Time Frame

Students will explore the role of dolphins in North Inlet through two separate, but related, classroom activities.  We recommend you do both, in the order given below, but either can be done as a stand-alone activity.  

  • Photo-identification Activity - 45 minutes

  • The Ecological Role of Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in an Estuarine Food Web - one 90 minute block.

Keywords

Food web, trophic level, photo-identification, ecology, dolphins, Tursiops truncatus

 


The Rising Tide Project was developed at Coastal Carolina University, with the support of the National Science Foundation, and in collaboration with the Waccamaw Math and Science Hub and the South Carolina Aquarium.  Its goal is to raise the level of scientific awareness and confidence on a local level by fostering collaboration between researchers, educators, and undergraduates.  Teachers work closely during the summer with a university researcher and an undergraduate science major on a locally relevant research project.  Using the methodology and data from their experience, the teams design discovery- and inquiry-based classroom activities for the classroom that emphasize hypothesis testing, data manipulation, and interpretation.  For more information about the Rising Tide Project, click on the logo below.