# My Yearly Stranding Season Post



## Dolphin Girl (May 21, 2004)

FYI, stranding season is officially here on the upper coast. If you run across a live dolphin or whale on the beach, please call 800-9MAMMAL immediately. If you see any dead ones and happen to have a camera, please take some pictures and try to note your general location (2 miles past the barricades, between the piers, trash can #71, etc.) Or if you have GPS, that would work too. When you get back, just shoot me a PM and I'll send you an email adress where you can send the pics.

Thanks so much for all your help!


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## 535 (May 23, 2004)

This happened to me in December way down on PINS... no cell phone, acted out of instinct and got the dolphin back into the surf to watch it swim south... what was believed to be the same dolphin released later that same morning in same fashion... dead dolphin reported further south a day or so later... no idea if it was the same one... through the help of Dolphin Girl and a little reflection I realized a couple things...

- if dolphin beaches itself, it may possibly repeat as it is sick
- dolphin can be kept alive a long time in shallow water with air, shade and moisture
- I could have stayed with dolphin until somebody departing island could be waved down to notify authorities
- instead of letting it ruin fishing trip it can be seen as an opportunity... set up camp for a few hours with the dolphin and wait for help... no big deal

maybe this will help if somebody else finds themselves in the same predicament

jc


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## ronnie collins (May 21, 2004)

artical in the Beaumont paper today or yesterday, that you may already know about Karen http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19359289&BRD=2287&PAG=461&dept_id=512589&rfi=6


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## lunkerbrad (Feb 17, 2007)

correct me if i am wrong . if a dolphin gets old and sick it is afraid of drowning so it beach's it self .
now a mass stranding is a little different if one of the herd is sick it gos to the beach to die and then the bond between them brings the rest in to the beach like pilote whales do mass strandings .
now a few of the dead dolphins i have seen on the beach over the years all look like old mammals the teeth were worn down not sharp like a young mammal missing and broken teeth a sign of old age .just like a old dog .
will keep a eye out and nose in the air .


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## 535 (May 23, 2004)

the dolphin me and San Martian got back in the water had a very healthy and serious set of teeth... definitely one of the first things we noticed when we approached it... it looked kinda pale, but I've never seen one out of water... its a total judgement call, but trust me, finding a live dolphin on the sand was akin to finding a live person unable to swim in the water


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## Dolphin Girl (May 21, 2004)

Alot of the ones you'll see now are about 2' long and will still have the umbilical cord attached. But yeah, you'll see a lot of old ones. When they're sick, they're usually not feeding well so they're going to have thin blubber. The cold water becomes an issue and usually gets them.


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## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

Theres one on Sargent beach about two miles east of the swing bridge. About a 7 to 8 footer. No signs of obvious trauma ie. shark bites. I saw it last week and it looked like it had been there a couple of days. It had a pretty good sunburn.


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## Dolphin Girl (May 21, 2004)

Thanks!


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## Neverenough (May 24, 2004)

*3.9.08 Matagorda ~13 miles*

This one has been here for a while.


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## lunkerbrad (Feb 17, 2007)

missing and broken and blunt teeth sign of old age .


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## Dolphin Girl (May 21, 2004)

Thanks Josh.


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