[Music]
on the northern fringes of the caribbean
stretching out into the atlantic are 700
lower lying islands sitting on a vast
limestone shelf known
as the bahama banks
the bahamas were named by the spanish
baja ma means shallow sea
[Music]
these waters offer good visibility and
protection from danger
Spotted Dolphins
ideal for some of the caribbean’s most
intelligent animals
spotted dolphins
they cruise the banks in family groups
keeping in touch with a wide range of
whistles and squads
the baby of this group is around three
months old
he’s not yet got his spots
[Applause]
he’ll shadow his mother for his first
three years
learning the ins and outs of dolphin
life
for now she reassures him with constant
caresses from her fin within the group
Large Bottlenose Dolphins
this kind of body language helps to
reinforce relationships
and keep the peace
but there’s trouble in paradise
large bottlenose dolphins also live here
male bottlenose are much more aggressive
than their spotted neighbors
charging and biting rivals
although the different species often
socialize sometimes the bottlenose throw
their weight around
bullying often has a sexual edge
male bottlenose try to mate with spotted
females and harass
young males
but spottage joined forces to ward them
off often calling on neighboring groups
to help
the bully tries to stand his ground but
outnumbered
he soon turns tail
while spotted dolphins leave the banks
to feed in deeper water
bottlenose fish the shallows
Dolphin Hunting
these empty shallows may not seem a
hunter’s paradise
but you just need the right detection
kit
a dolphin uses echo echolocation to see
through the sand
he produces between twenty and a
thousand clicks a second
speeding up as he homes in on hidden
prey
once he pinpoints buried treasure all he
has to do
is dig it out
using his body weight he nose dives up
to a meter beneath the sand
until he finally pulls out his prize
a razor fish
