Adopt A Dolphin

Shanty is the Matriarch of Koombana Bay. She is a long-time resident and one of our most well-known dolphins. She was an adult when we first identified her in 1989 so her exact age is not known, but we estimate her to be over 40 years of age.
Her name means 'a sailor's song' (as in a sea shanty). Shanty is one of the most regular visitors to our Interaction Zone and one of our most popular dolphins, especially when over the years she has brought her calves Osho, Calypso and Jingles to enthral visitors in our the shallow water in front of the Dolphin Discovery Centre. She and her calves also often join guests and volunteers on our Swim Tours.

Eclipse was our first confirmed third-generation beach dolphin. She was born to her mother, Levy, in 1994 and grandmother, Thin Fin, who was one of the original group that came to the beach when the Dolphin Discovery Centre opened in 1990.
She was born around 20 April 2007 and named Eclipse because her mother was named after a space scientist, David Levy, and we wanted to continue the connection with astronomy. Eclipse was the second of four calves born to beach dolphins in 2007 and it was fun to watch our 'beach babies' playing together as they all grew up. She is one of our very regular beach dolphins, often visiting our Interaction Zone and enthralling our guests. We hope that one day Eclipse will produce our first confirmed fourth-generation calf.

Levy was first sighted in Koombana Bay with her mother, Thin Fin, in September 1994, when she appeared to be about two months old. As the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was orbiting the earth she was named after the astronomer David Levy.
Levy has successfully raised one calf, Eclipse, who is also a regular beach visiting dolphin.
Levy is easily identifiable as her fin leans to the side like her mother's. There are three indentations on the top curve of the fin, three ‘nicks’ halfway down the back edge of her dorsal fin and a diagonal scar on the right side. Levy loves visiting our beach and interacting with our visitors but rarely joins in with the Swim Tours.

Osho first came to the beach as a calf in April 1998 with his mother, Shanty, who is a true matriarch of Koombana Bay, and he has continued to visit throughout his life, sometimes even when his Mum and his sibling Calypso are visiting. When he was younger he was often showing off in front of the tourists with flicks of his tail and small jumps. Osho also loves interacting with our visitors on our Swim Tours and Eco Cruises, when he is usually very playful, diving and circling amongst the swimmers.  
Osho's primary alliance seems to be with Chocolate, his life-long friend, and also with Squeeky, whose Mum was named Tangles. They are now in the world of adult male dolphins who compete with their rivals for female attention but join together with when rounding up fish. Osho has a powerful triangular dorsal fin with a large nick located halfway down the back edge. This nick began as a single dolphin tooth bite when he was young and has increased in size as he has grown.

Cracker was first identified in 2002 when she visited the Interaction Zone. She was an adult dolphin then so we do not know her actual age. Cracker is easily identified by the distinctive nick in the rear edge of the dorsal fin, along with the slightly jagged dorsal tip.
Cracker is often seen with the other females from the maternal group, including Shanty, Levy, Key and Flat-top spending quality mum and baby time together within the safety of the shallow waters of Leschenault Estuary.

Since we met Cracker she has had four calves:
• Cruiser: Sadly died at almost three years of age after being entangled in fishing line.
• Gouda: Deceased April 2012.
• Cookie: Born 2014 and now completely weaned but still sometimes visits us when Mum and her new calf are visiting.
• Anzac: Born April 2017. Anzac is a lovely healthy calf who enthrals our visitors in the Interaction Zone by doing big flips out of the water and sometimes jumping on top of his Mum.

Calypso was born in 2007 to Shanty, who we call the matriarch of Koombana Bay. Calypso is often very inquisitive with guests on our Swim Tours. Although he is only a very occasional visitor to the Interaction Zone, he comes very close to people and often stays for quite long periods of time, sometimes when older brother Osho is visiting. Keeping in theme with the musical origin of his mother's name, Calypso was named after the music of Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso has four tiny nicks on the trailing edge of the dorsal fin and a mid-sized peduncle notch, where the rear of dorsal fin joins the body.

Chocolate is a male dolphin, often seen with Osho and Squeeky. He is easily identified by the two large chunks out of his dorsal fin. If he visits the Interaction Zone it is usually because he is chasing after the girls! During the past couple of years, Chocolate has spent a lot of time in the Leschenault Estuary where fishing in the shallow waters has caused a few problems for him and on more than one occasion he has become stranded. We have had to rescue him twice and, although he has survived these ordeals, he now has some large white sunburn scarring. Recently Chocolate seems to be back with the other boys out in Koombana Bay, so hopefully he will stay out of trouble and not need rescuing again in the future.