Dolphin Politics in Shark Bay: A Journey of Discovery

Leaving Monkey Mia for a day of dolphin research on Shark Bay. © Simon Allen

The dolphin Nicky investigates a tourist at Monkey Mia. © Dolphin Alliance Project (taken in 1982 using hand-rolled black and white film)

The author trying to determine the sex of a bow-riding dolphin © Dolphin Alliance Project

Spongemom with a sponge in 2010, 24 years after the author first followed her in 1986. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Two male dolphins line up head to head, having a "tiff," while a third contributes his opinion to the dispute. © Dolphin Alliance Project

One dolphin, belly-up, strokes the face of another dolphin while being petted in the genital area. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Snubby, on guard duty, watches as the other dolphins are fed, but he remains near the female (furthest out) in case she tries to escape © Dolphin Alliance Project

Snubby and Bibi flanking a herded female in “formation” © Dolphin Alliance Project

Lunch was visibly emaciated (note how large her head appears relative to her body) as she surfaced in "infant position" beside her mother, Munch, on the last day we saw her in 1987. © Dolphin Alliance Project

A second-order alliance, composed of a pair and a trio, resting (="snagging") at the surface. © Dolphin Alliance Project

The stranded "offshore" dolphin. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Shave, Sickle and Wave, surfacing synchronously in "sardine" formation on 10 September. Wave was soon excluded from the consortship with Surprise. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Snubby receives a fish while ranger Tom Pepper looks on. © Dolphin Alliance Project

A dolphin tosses a fish it has caught © Simon Allen

Snubby, Sickle and Bibi © Dolphin Alliance Project

One young male mounting another. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Young Holly bonds to Puck. © Dolphin Alliance Proj

A trio of males from the "Crunch Bunch" dive synchronously © Dolphin Alliance Project

A dolphin beaches in pursuit of a fish at Cape Peron. © Simon Allen

A male careening around during an "Apeshit" display © Dolphin Alliance Project

"Wow" was named after our reaction to his shark bite scar. © Dolphin Alliance Project

A fresh shark bite in July. No month is completely safe. © Dolphin Alliance Project

We found Holey-fin's body as it was washing ashore south of Cape Rose. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Male dolphins often spread out to fish alone, and sometimes surprise us with what they find, like this male who has captured a snake eel. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Fighting males © Whitney Friedman

Real Notch and Hi (nearest) surface synchronously. © Dolphin Alliance Project

A trio of Kroker Spaniels dive synchronously © Dolphin Alliance Project

Watching the Wow Crowd. I am driving and recording observations into a head-mounted microphone while David Wrangham films the action and visiting scientist Lindsey Porter watches another group nearby. An underwater microphone (hydrophone), fed through the PVC pipe in front of the boat, picks up the dolphins' vocalizations. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Captain Hook © Dolphin Alliance Project

Creative displays? Two males perform synchronous belly-slaps, going in opposite directions, on either side of a female. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Three Rascals, (l to r) Urchin, Smokey & Cookie, synchronously charge into a female who is just under water in front of them © Stephanie King

A rowdy group of the Blues Brothers on 22 August. © Dolphin Alliance Project

The surface churned with fighting dolphins on 23 September when the Hooligans helped Arnie's Mates take Phantom from the Wow Crowd. © Whitney Friedman

Real Notch photographed on hand-rolled black and while film in 1982 © Dolphin Alliance Project

Real Notch in 2012, 30 years after we first photographed him in 1982 © Dolphin Alliance Project

A dolphin with a just-captured yellowfin bream, a schooling fish. © Dolphin Alliance Project

Although not quite synchronous, two leaping male dolphins impress with the height they achieve © Dolphin Alliance Project