Dolphin Talk: Rebecca Hamilton

The charismatic chatter of Dophins

Hey Rebecca, thanks for joining our interview series! Want to start off by telling us a little about yourself?

Hi, I’m Becca! I’m currently a biology Master’s student at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth working with Dr. Richard Connor to study dolphin behaviour. 

Let’s talk bottlenose dolphins – you’re currently studying this gorgeous species. Could you tell us a bit about them and how you ended up working with them?

Bottlenose dolphins are the poster child of behavioural research; they’re a behaviourally complex species, making them very similar to humans in a lot of ways, but found all over the world in shallow coastal areas, where they’re accessible to researchers. Because bottlenose dolphins have amazing capabilities and a history of extensive research both in captivity and in the wild, they’re ideal for testing out questions about complex cognition.

Your research investigates their behaviour and communication, what have you been looking at specifically?

My thesis is asking if/how individuals communicate with one another during a unique foraging behaviour called Driver-Barrier (DB) Foraging. DB is usually performed by groups of animals and is seen in the waters around Cedar Key, Florida, and nowhere else in the world! It is possible that DB could be the first example of non-human Intentional Cooperation. Intentional Cooperation hasn’t been seen in any other species because part of the definition is that coordination must be achieve through communication. By recording underwater sounds and examining them for dolphin vocalizations, I hope to be able to show whether DB is an example of Intentional Cooperation. 

You worked with the Cedar Key Dolphin Project whilst collecting your data. What’s a typical day in the field like?

A typical day in the field starts with waking up at 6am and checking the weather and environmental conditions… on about 6 different apps! We need conditions to be just right; no rain or storms, low winds, and the right tidal cycle. If things are too rough on the water, finding and tracking dolphins is almost impossible and the quality of our audio recordings is compromised. If conditions are good, we trailer the boat and drive to our launch site on the coast. While out on the boat in 90+ degree heat for up to 9 hours, we are constantly scanning the water for dolphins. We use the unique dorsal fins on dolphins to identify individuals and would conduct focal follows, which is when you follow animals of particular interest (ones we know participate in DB) and record their behaviour while also recording audio with our underwater microphones, called hydrophones.

You’ve also worked with a number of other dolphin research programs around the world – what are your most memorable moments?

 Field work is always the highlight of my year, for so many reasons. You spend time watching animals, answering questions about them, and generating new questions. You also get to experience nature and truly live in the moment when you’re out on the water, which always makes me happy. But it’s also about the other humans; I’ve met some incredible people while working in the field and some of my best memories involve creating life-long friendships, learning from each other, and sharing funny moments with those people.

What inspired your journey into marine biology?

I think a lot of people in my field typically say they grew up on or near the ocean, but my childhood was different; apart from learning how to swim in an indoor pool, I really didn’t experience the marine world, and I had never been on a small boat until my first research internship! My love of the oceans was fostered through the books I read and shows I watched as a kid; I was addicted to Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. Despite never seeing a dolphin or whale until my teenage years, I always loved them for their complex brains and wanted to know just how similar they were to humans.

At GOS we often get asked “how do I get into marine biology”. What was your personal journey into marine biology like? Can you describe the path you took?

I went into high school knowing I had this passion for marine life and animal behaviour, so I knew that I needed to focus on my math and science classes, as well as improving my writing skills, which was definitely my weak point. My strong GPA allowed me to get into the undergraduate program in Marine Science at Rollins College in Florida. During my bachelors, my mentors encouraged me to think about grad school, but I would need to get some research experience. Getting my first internship was the hardest because my resume was basically blank, so I applied to everything I could and I was rejected A LOT, but all I needed one lucky opportunity. After having that first chance at research experience, I was confident that this is the career path I wanted.

So when you finish your master’s degree, where do you see marine science taking you in the future?

I hope to continue on in academia, completing my PhD in marine mammal science by asking more questions about behaviour and communication. Life in academia is hard and it definitely is not for everyone, but I truly enjoy the challenge of figuring out answers to questions no one has solved before. I hope to one day be a successful research professor, sharing knowledge of animal behaviour with the next generation of scientists and spending many more field seasons watching and learning from marine mammals.

Let’s talk girls in science. What’s your personal experience of being a female in marine science? And what do you think the future holds for women in your field?

I think because women, especially minority women, have historically been disadvantaged in higher education, things are still tough and we’ve got a long way to go, but I know so many women in science who are pushing boundaries and leading with courage. Women like that inspire me and make me believe we can all achieve our goals as long as women (and men!) in science support each other and take a stand when things are out of balance. I personally have a strong network of women around me, both peers and mentors, that I know I can rely on in times of need, and this had made a world of difference to my experience in science.

What is one thing in marine science that you want to see change?

I think a lot of scientists, especially those of older generations, function in a bit of a bubble and don’t get involved in matters outside of their field of expertise. But in today’s world, I don’t feel like we have the ability to do that anymore. Climate change is affecting the work of all scientists and we all need to do what we can to make things better before it’s too late. A new IPCC report says we have less than 15 years to prevent climate disaster. Scientists need to be involved in communicating their science and being active politically if we want to protect this planet and the amazing biodiversity it supports.