Dr. Ann Weaver—an animal behaviorist conducting a long-term study of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida—talks about the enormous array of species she has worked with directly or studied before landing on the dolphin study in 2005, driven by a lifelong passion to work with any animal she could.
This yielded a large number of jobs, ranging from the Department of Agriculture, to The San Diego Zoo, to stints in academia as a professor and dean. Weaver recounts why she initially found the dolphin study intriguing, and why—13 years later—she feels every bit as enthusiastic, 
hoping it continues indefinitely. Part of her enthusiasm stems from the singularity of the study: charting the behavior of the bottlenose dolphins that live in and around the John’s Pass area, recording the impact before, during and after a major bridge construction project there—affording the rare opportunity to study a species before it’s impacted by such an endeavor. She outlines some of the study’s findings, and how they might help guide those undertaking a comparable project where one or species might otherwise be similarly affected. Weaver discusses some of the more unusual stories included in her new book, “Secrets Behind The Dolphin Smile—25 Amazing Things Dolphins Do,” including a female dolphin kidnapping another’s calf, and a male playing dead as a highly unusual courting strategy. (http://www.goodnaturedstatistics.com)
Dr. Weaver Interview on Facebook Live:
ALSO: I spoke briefly with Trevor Chin, of Florida Voices For Animals, about a demonstration against Gibsonton Circus, slated to perform three shows on Jan. 6 at the International Independent Showmen’s Club, in Riverview, FL. (https://www.floridavoicesforanimals.org)
COMEDY CORNER: Kevin Hart’s “honiZ” (portion) (http://www.kevinhart.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.
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