Island Days. The Way I See It: "Flipper" The King of the Sea

Seeing the dolphins is something you never grow tired of. And they're enjoyed all year around, on St. George Island.

Barely stirring the water in the canal.

They prefer shallow seas, and coastal waters, so, Apalachicola Bay is the perfect environment for them. And on occasion, if you're on the beach, you can see them swimming along the shore, searching for their next meal. And if you're lucky enough to be swimming in the gulf when they come by, they might just swim with you!

The water gets stirred up when they find the fish.

Sometimes, they'll come up into the canals, looking for fish. They'll cruise along, barely making a wake, then, all of a sudden, the water explodes! That's when you know they've found what they're looking for.
Dolphins are strict carnivores, eating fish and squid. They hunt their prey by using what's called echolocation. This is what they are doing when they make a "clicking" sound. They're using their ears, to hunt. They'll also follow sea birds, and ships, to catch fish.

A young calf surfaces.

It's not often that you see a lone dolphin. Usually you see them in groups, or pods, of 3 or more. There have been pods spotted, that number in the thousands. These are called "super pods". I don't any know of any "super pods" that have been seen around St. George Island. But it's not unusual to see a group of 30 or so swimming together in the bay. If you happen to see them when you're out on a boat, and they're not focused entirely on fishing, they enjoy playing in the wake. Or they may take up following you. They may just want to play, or they want to see if you stir up any fish.
There are 40 different species of dolphins. Whales are also considered a type of dolphin. The whales, and the kind of dolphins around St. George Island, are know as "Oceanic" dolphins, as opposed to "River" dolphins, that live in the freshwater rivers of Asia and S. America. Of the Oceanic dolphins, there are 32 species. The most common around the island is the bottlenose.
They mate throughout the year, usually having one calf. When they're ready to give birth, they'll leave the pod, and come to the surface in order for the calf to take it's first breath. A calf can nurse up to 2 years, and will stay with their mom, anywhere from 3 to 8 years.
It's been said that dogs and dolphins have a language all their own. And, after seeing some of the things I have, it's hard to dispute. A dolphin sees just as clearly outside the water, as it does under it. So if they're following the boat, and happen to see dogs on board, their interest is peaked. And the dogs, are certainly interested in them. There's no fear on either side. Just curiosity. The dolphins will appear to almost tease the dogs, and start showing off by "sky hopping" or, jumping out of the water.

Watching the dolphins

Here's a couple interesting facts about dolphins. Only half of their brain sleeps. The other half stays awake to prevent them from drowning. Even in sleep, they need to breathe. So half of the brain has to stay awake to get them to the surface to take a breath.
The bottlenose dolphin can live to be over 40 years old.

Because the dolphin lacks certain lobes and nerves, they have a very poor developed sense of smell.
The dolphin is never thought of as an aggressive mammal, but when a male has to defend it's territory, or a female feels the need to protect it's young, they'll be aggressive enough to bite each other. But it's extremely rare to hear of aggression towards people.