Adopt a dolphin today and support Oceanic Society's global ocean conservation programs.
Oceanic Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your tax-deductible symbolic dolphin adoption purchase supports our ocean conservation programs.
Adopt a Dolphin for 1 Year: $40
For a tax-deductible annual dolphin adoption fee of $40 you will receive:
- A personalized printed certificate of adoption good for one year.
- Free domestic shipping via USPS (note: international orders will receive a digital certificate).
Adopt a Dolphin for 2 Years: $75
For a tax-deductible bi-annual dolphin adoption fee of $75 you will receive:
- A personalized printed certificate of adoption good for two years.
- Free domestic shipping via USPS (note: international orders will receive a digital certificate).
Dolphins Available for Adoption
Nickname: Pat
ID: TA016
Gender: Female
First sighted: Jul 17 1992
Age class: Adult
Age: > 25
Pat is one of the first dolphins identified by Oceanic Society researchers in 1992. Her sickle-shaped fin has a thin white strip along its trailing edge (the rear edge of the fin). From data collected over a 22-year period, we know that Pat has a large home range; we find her in many locations, from near the front dock of the field station to the southernmost tip of Turneffe Atoll.
Nickname: Sawfin
ID: TA025
Gender: Female
First sighted: Aug 6 1992
Age class: Adult
Age: > 26
Sawfin is a long-term resident of Turneffe Atoll and one of our most commonly sighted dolphins. She is often seen raising a calf. On average, adult female dolphins give birth to a single calf once every four years. We often find Sawfin foraging and resting in the lush seagrass meadows of Harry Jones Cut to the west of Blackbird Caye, typically in the company of her daughter, Chance.
Nickname: Jules
ID: TA136
Gender: Female
First sighted: Mar 22 2001
Age class: Adult
Age: > 13
Often found traveling through the Grand Bogue and the Central Lagoon like many adult females, Jules is frequently seen in maternal groups composed of mother-calf pairs. Her calf, Pixie, is about 3 years old, but Jules still swims close to her side and will often place herself between Pixie and other dolphins, a way to protect her dependent calf from potential harm by other animals.
Nickname: Chance
ID: TA146
Gender: Female
First sighted: Feb 14 2011
Age class: Juvenile
Age: > 4
One of the friendliest dolphins we encounter, Chance is a 4-6 year old juvenile female named for her "chancy" behavior, frequently approaching our research boat, Miss Callie, and bow riding during behavior observations. With our underwater camera propped off the side of the boat, we often see Chance present her belly to the boat, offering a surefire way to identify her gender when we get a look at her genital slits.
Nickname: Buster
ID: TA147
Gender: Male
First sighted: 2007
Age class: Juvenile
Age: > 7
Buster is a juvenile male dolphin that we observed swimming right by his mother's side (Pat) for nearly seven years! These days, he tends to travel across patches of the stony coral communities and seagrass meadows in Grand Bogue. Buster is sometimes found alone, emitting interesting sequences of whistles (a type of dolphin acoustic call) when approaching the boat. Similar whistles are recorded during his interactions with other members of the coastal dolphin population at Turneffe.
Nickname: Toots
ID: TA152
Gender: Male
First sighted: Jul 11 2011
Age class: Adult
Age: > 10
The most notable feature of Toots, besides the scarring of his fin, is the characteristic high-pitched "toot" sound that he makes in air when exhaling from his blowhole—it resembles the sound of a boiling teakettle. We're not sure if he has a respiratory problem, but he appears healthy and his in-air sounds are useful for keeping track of his whereabouts when he disappears from sight during our behavior observations.
Nickname: Cleo
ID: TA155
Gender: Female
First sighted: Jul 11 2011
Age class: Adult
Age: > 10
Cleo is a vigilant mother, keeping her calf, Clem, close to her side when making her way across her typical resting habitat near Grand Bogue. Like several other female dolphins in the region, the trailing edge of her dorsal fin has some white coloration and is scarred with rake marks, evidence of bites from other dolphins.