Click to listen to episode (4:21)
Sections below are the following:
Transcript of Audio
Audio Notes and Acknowledgments
Images
Sources
Related Water Radio Episodes
For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.)
Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 9-11-20.
TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of September 14, 2020.
MUSIC – ~7 sec – instrumental
This week, that music opens an episode about a group of intelligent and social marine mammals. Have a listen for about 30 seconds to three kinds of mystery sounds, along with a bit more of the music, and see if you can guess this group of ocean animals. And here’s a hint: they’re a popular attraction at places like the National Aquarium.
SOUNDS ~ 16 sec
MUSIC - ~ 13 sec - instrumental
If you guessed dolphins, you’re right! You heard sounds from the Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, and Risso’s Dolphin, also known as Grampus. The music was “Dolphin Dialogues,” by Torrin Hallett, a graduate student at Lamont School of Music in Denver. Eight dolphin species are known to occur in Virginia coastal waters, out of over 30 ocean dolphin species worldwide. The Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common species off the Virginia coast, and it’s known to travel well upstream into rivers such as the Potomac and the James.
Scientists classify dolphins within the order of marine mammals called cetaceans, from a Greek word that means “large sea creature” or “huge fish.” The cetacean order also includes whales and porpoises. One porpoise species, the Harbor Porpoise, is known in Virginia waters. Dolphins differ from porpoises in the shape of their body, beak, teeth, and top fin. Along with whales and porpoises, dolphins have a high level of intelligence and a sophisticated use of sound for communication and navigation. Dolphins make a variety of clicking, creaking, and whistling sounds, with individuals having their own, distinctive whistle. Dolphins are also known for their social nature, traveling in pods that sometimes number in the hundreds.
The non-profit organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation has described dolphins as “highly mobile, powerful predators who hunt fast-moving fish, squid, and other sea creatures.” If you go to Virginia’s Atlantic coast, here’s hoping your visit includes a view of these remarkable marine mammals.
Thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office for the dolphin sounds. Thanks also to Torrin Hallett for composing this week’s music for Virginia Water Radio, and we close with about 20 more seconds of “Dolphin Dialogues.”
MUSIC – ~20 sec – instrumental
SHIP’S BELL
Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.
AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The dolphin sounds heard in this Virginia Water Radio episode were taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Office, “Sounds in the Ocean,” online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/science-data/sounds-ocean, as of 9-10-20.
“Dolphin Dialogues” is copyright 2020 by Torrin Hallett, used with permission. As of 2020-21, Torrin Hallett is a performance certificate candidate at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. More information about Torrin is available online at https://competitiveedgetutoring.com/tutors/torrin-hallett/. Click here if you would like to listen to “Dolphin Dialogues” in its entirety; it runs about 46 seconds.
Following are other music pieces composed by Torrin
Hallett for Virginia Water Radio, with episodes featuring the music.
“Beetle Ballet” – used in Episode
525, 5-18-20, on aquatic beetles.
“Chesapeake Bay Ballad” – in Episode 537, 8-10-20, on
conditions in the Chesapeake Bay.
“Corona Cue” – used in Episode
517, 3-23-20, on the coronavirus pandemic.
“Geese Piece” – used most recently in Episode
440, 10-1-18, on E-bird.
“Lizard Lied” – used in Episode
514, 3-2-20, on lizards.
“New Year’s Water” – used in Episode
349, 1-2-17, on the New Year.
“Rain Refrain” – used most recently in Episode
455, 1-14-19, on record Virginia precipitation in 2019.
“Spider Strike” – used in Episode
523, 5-4-20, on fishing spiders.
“Tropical Tantrum” – used most recently in Episode
489, 9-9-19, on storm surge and Hurricane Dorian. “Turkey Tune” – used in Episode
343, 11-21-16, on the Wild Turkey.
Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode. More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com.
IMAGES
Dolphins underwater. Location and date not identified. Photo by Adam Li, made available for public use by the NOAA Photo Library (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/U.S. Department of Commerce), online at https://photolib.noaa.gov/; specific URL for this photo was https://photolib.noaa.gov/Collections/NOAAs-Ark/Killer-Whales-Dolphins/emodule/726/eitem/29322, as of 9-10-20. Other dolphin photos in the NOAA Photo Library are available online at https://photolib.noaa.gov/Collections/NOAAs-Ark/Killer-Whales-Dolphins/emodule/726/eitem/29307.
EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT DOLPHINS IN VIRGINIA
Following are the common and scientific names of dolphin and
porpoise species known to occur in Virginia waters, according to the Virginia
Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries), “Fish and Wildlife Information Service,” online at online at https://vafwis.dgif.virginia.gov/fwis/.
Information on marine mammals, specifically, is online at https://vafwis.dgif.virginia.gov/fwis/?Title=VaFWIS+Report+BOVA&lastMenu=Home.Species+Information&tn=.1&geoArea=&sppName=&geoType=None&geoVal=no+selection&sppTax=12&status.
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops
truncatus
Harbor Porpoise, Phocena
phocena
Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus), Grampus griseus
Rough-toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis
Saddleback Dolphin (called Short-beaked Common Dolphin in some
other sources), Delphinus delphis
Spinner Dolphin, Stenella
longirostris
Striped Dolphin, Stenella
caeruleoalba
SOURCES
Used for Audio
Richard A. Blaylock, The Marine Mammals of Virginia, Virginia Sea Grant Publication VSG-85-05, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, 1985, online (as a PDF) at https://www.vims.edu/GreyLit/VIMS/EdSeries35.pdf.
Chesapeake Dolphin Watch, online at https://chesapeakedolphinwatch.org/.
Alexander Costidis et al., “Introduction to the Virginia Marine Mammal Conservation Plan,” Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center/Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (now Department of Wildlife Resources), VAQF Scientific Report 2017-02, online (as PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/Portals/0/DEQ/CoastalZoneManagement/FundsInitiativesProjects/task95-02-15.pdf?ver=2018-07-13-141105-150.
Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson, Life in the Chesapeake Bay, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md. (2006); see pages 280-281.
National Aquarium [Baltimore, Md.], “Dolphin Discovery,” online at https://aqua.org/explore/exhibits/dolphin-discovery.
National Ocean Service, “What’s the difference between dolphins and porpoises?” (no date given), online at https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/dolphin_porpoise.html.
D.M Ranneft et al., “A guide to the pronunciation and meaning of cetacean taxonomic names,” Aquatic Mammals 2001, Vol. 27, No. 2, pages 183-195, online (as a PDF) at https://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/share/AquaticMammalsIssueArchives/2001/AquaticMammals_27-02/27-02_Ranneft.PDF.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, “[Dolphin] Communication and Echolocation,” online at https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/bottlenose-dolphin/communication/.
VirginiaBeach.com, Inc., “Dolphins,” online at https://www.virginiabeach.com/article/dolphins.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries), “List of Native and Naturalized fauna
of Virginia,” as of April 2018, online (as a PDF) at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/virginia-native-naturalized-species.pdf.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly Department of Game and
Inland Fisheries), “Fish and Wildlife Information Service,” online at https://vafwis.dgif.virginia.gov/fwis/.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation, “About Whales and Dolphins,” online at https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/. This is the source of the quote in this episode’s audio. “Dolphins—Meet the Different Species,” online at https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/dolphins/, asserts that there are 38 ocean dolphin species worldwide and four river dolphin species. “Porpoises—Meet the Different Species,” online at https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/porpoises/, asserts that there are seven porpoise species worldwide.
For More Information about Dolphins and Other Marine
Mammals in Virginia and Elsewhere
D.W. Linzey, The Mammals of Virginia, McDonald and Woodward Publishing
Company, Blacksburg, Va., 1998.
Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, online at https://www.sarasotadolphin.org/. Sounds information, online at https://www.sarasotadolphin.org/intro-to-dolphin-conservation/dolphin-life/communication-acoustics/dolphin-sounds/.
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, “Animal Diversity Web,” online at https://animaldiversity.org/.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), “Chesapeake Bay Mammals – A Guide to Selected Mammals in the Chesapeake Bay Region.” online at https://www.vims.edu/test/dlm/critters/mammals/index.php. This source includes information on three marine mammals: Bottlenose Dolphin, Harbor Seal, and West Indian Manatee.
RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). See particularly the “Mammals” subject category.
A previous episode using a dolphin sound is Episode 540, 8-31-20.
FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION
Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.
2013 Music SOLs
SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”
2010 Science SOLs
Grades K-6 Earth
Resources Theme
3.10 – impacts on survival of species, including effects of
fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms; effects of human activity on
air, water and habitat; and conservation and resource renewal.
4.9 – Virginia natural resources, including watersheds,
water resources, and organisms.
6.9 – public policy decisions related to the environment
(including resource management and conservation, land use decisions, hazard
mitigation, and cost/benefit assessments).
Grades K-6 Force, Motion, and Energy Theme
5.2 – sound creation, transmission, and use.
Grades K-6 Life
Processes Theme
K.7 – basic needs and processes of plants and animals.
1.5 – animals’ basic needs and distinguishing
characteristics.
3.4 – behavioral and physiological adaptations.
Grades K-6 Living
Systems Theme
2.5 – living things as part of a system, including habitats.
3.5 – food webs.
3.6 – ecosystems, communities, populations, shared
resources.
4.5 – ecosystem interactions and human influences on
ecosystems.
5.5 – cell structures and functions, organism
classification, and organism traits.
6.7 – natural processes and human interactions that affect
watershed systems; Virginia watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; health and
safety issues; and water monitoring.
Life Science Course
LS.4 – organisms’ classification based on features.
LS.8 – community and population interactions, including food
webs, niches, symbiotic relationships.
LS.9 – adaptations for particular ecosystems’ biotic and
abiotic factors, including characteristics of land, marine, and freshwater
environments.
LS.11 – relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.
Earth Science
Course
ES.10 – ocean processes, interactions, and policies affecting coastal
zones, including Chesapeake Bay.
Biology Course
BIO.8 – dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations,
communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of
natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and
microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.
Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.
Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels.
Episode
250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Episode
255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade.
Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living
vs. non-living, for kindergarten.
Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on
temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th
grade.
Episode
333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved
oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade.
Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing
and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Episode
404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4th through 8th
grade.
Episode
406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school.
Episode
407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school.
Episode
483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school.
Episode
524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school
through high school.
Episode
531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd
and 4th grade.
Episode
539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources,
for 4th and 6th grade.
