Welcome to CRUISE COCOA.
Here’s some interesting indian river lagoon dolphin facts you may not have known about the dolphins that reside here in Florida. Especially the ones in the Indian River Lagoon.
We would like to introduce you to the rich history, culture, environment, and the wildlife that inhabits our beautiful state of FLORIDA.
CRUISE COCOA loves to “lei’ back” and let the water wash away the workday worries, but our biggest thrill is when the dolphins come and play.
The Indian River lagoon is home to a sub ecotype of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins known as the Indian River Lagoon Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. These dolphins are smaller than their offshore relatives and spend their entire life in the shallow waters of the Indian River Lagoon. There are just over 1000 residents.
“Social Creatures“
Dolphins don’t have a mating season like some other animals. They “socialize” all year round, which means that we can have little ones all year round. Dolphins will only have one baby at a time.
That baby is called a calf. When that calf is born it comes tail first and there is another “auntie” dolphin there to push them up to the surface for their very first breath.
Dolphins don’t breathe the same way that humans do. For us our body just does it, no need to think about breathing, dolphins on the other hand choose when to come up to the surface and breathe. The new calf spends more time at the surface while it learns to hold its breath.
The calves spend the first few years of their life learning everything there is to know about the area. One of their most important lessons is how to hunt. The Indian River Lagoon dolphins have a specialized hunting technique called “rushing”. They rush their prey into the shallows and will even use man made structures such as break walls or bridges.
The dolphins love to play with their food and one of the easiest ways to spot dolphins, other than seeing a fin, is to look for the birds trying to catch a free meal as the dolphins toss the fish into the air.
Say What?
Even when the dolphins aren’t right next to each other it doesn’t mean that they aren’t in contact. They use a variation of clicks and whistles to communicate.
The same way that we have names, they use specialized whistle monikers to identify exactly who they are “talking” to.
None of those sounds come out of the mouth but instead the blowhole at the top of their heads. Indian River Lagoon Bottlenose Dolphins don’t have vocal cords. HUBBS and other research outfits have come to find that even within our small concentration in the lagoon they are starting to display different dialects on the northern and southern side of the lagoon.
Come join us at CRUISE COCOA and let our captains share our local knowledge.
Grab your Sunglasses and see what adventures await you!!!