The Wild Side Page #3

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interactions in this area

Probably by being

in such a large group

they are able to

defeat other alliances

But we suspect that the way

they're always changing partners

is required to maintain

friendly bonds within the group

They have to

take turns cooperating

with each other

to sort of keep things

on a friendly basis

between all the alliances

Maintaining relations

in such a large

group is a

delicate proposition

But the pay-off is clear

Like a fierce tribe

the "wow crowd" dominates

other alliances

and can aggressively pursue

its goal of capturing females

It's easy to lose sight of the

females' role in all this

In fact, she is

the motivating force behind

much of this

Machiavellian male behavior

The females of

most dolphin species

have a mating strategy

of their own

And it calls for multiple

sexual partners

So in spite of the

males' best efforts to

restrict the females' choice

it's not entirely successful

This spotted dolphin

female in the Bahamas

mates with a number of

eager males

Any one of these partners may end

up being the father of her calf

In a surprising way

this strategy may protect

her future offspring

A female dolphin will usually

give birth to a single calf

after a year

long pregnancy

It'll be a few years before this one

becomes spotted like its mother

After giving birth

the female is unreceptive

during the calf's first

few years

She will spurn the advances

of courting males

But young males can be

dangerously persistent

Adult male dolphins may do

more than simply harass females

They are strongly suspected of

killing dolphin calves

a possible strategy for making

the female receptive again

This time

the mother fights them off

In Shark Bay, a female, Nicky

cruises the shallows with her calf

She's being herded by

Bottomhook and Pointer

Like most female dolphins

she's mated with a number of partners

So the scientists are not sure

who the father of the calf is

But then neither

are Bottomhook and Pointer

And in their uncertainty,

the calf is spared

Finding food is the

mother's top priority

and here in Shark

Bay she's discovered

some surprising resources

There's something

enchanting about

coming in contact

with dolphins in the wild

The activity is

carefully monitored to

avoid potential harm

to dolphins or to humans

Please, please don't reach

out to her head, please

That's Nicky;

she will bite you

Trust me

She hasn't bitten

anybody since yesterday...

If you're lucky

enough to be called out

Just step out

Hold the fish by the tail

Not the dolphin...

Place right down into

the dolphins mouths

Please do not be tempted

to touch during the feeding

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