Learn About Hilton Head Dolphins

Do not confuse blubber with their melon or the bump that distinguishes their foreheads. Their melon is a fatty bump used to send and receive signals in dark water. It helps them navigate murky environments. This process is called echolocation.

Echolocation is how dolphins use sound to see. They make clicking sounds and listen for the echoes that bounce back. If the echo returns quickly, the object is close; if it takes longer, the object is farther away.

They are also able to distinguish how big something is with this method. Echolocation gives them X-ray vision in a sense. Dolphins are able to echolocate through sand and know if there is a fish buried under the sand and how big that fish is.  

Dolphins eat fish such as Mackerel, Caplin, Herring, and they also eat squid, octopus, crabs and shrimp. Our resident dolphins can weigh anywhere from 300lbs to 450lbs once full grown.

This means they can go through a lot of food. Our adult dolphins eat anywhere from 20-30lbs of food daily.

Hilton Head dolphins do something here that is unique to here and Australia. Nowhere else in the world does this happen. It is called strand feeding.

Strand feeding is when the adult dolphins literally strand themselves to catch dinner. The adult dolphins get together, 3 to 6 at a time, and push the water up on a muddy bank where they strand themselves. They also strand all the fish that were between them and the muddy bank, leaving the fish struggling and sometimes even jumping right into their mouths.

Then, the dolphins wiggle back down into the water. It is adult dolphins because only the dolphins with a lot of experience try something so daring. When this occurs, you can usually see the baby dolphins waiting in the deeper water for their mothers to finish up. 

Baby dolphins, or calves, stay with their mothers for 2-3 years. They eventually gain more independence. Sometimes the calves stay with their mothers their whole lives, not depending on them like the first 2-3 years but staying with their families.

A dolphin's brain lets them be self-aware and understand complex feelings, which helps them form strong bonds with others. That's why they usually live in groups called pods—they are social animals.

In Hilton Head Island, however, our dolphins like to venture out and explore on their own on occasion. Sometimes when you see a dolphin, you'll only see one, usually a male out exploring. However if you were to follow him, it wouldn't be long before he meets up with other dolphins with whom he associates.

Our waters are unique in that it's not all open ocean. We have Broad Creek, May River, and Calibogue Sound along with many estuaries which are all salt water. So we see a lot of times where they go off on mini-adventures but they are never far from their pod and they can always catch up.

Dolphins can swim as fast as 25 miles per hour, which is quite impressive without a motor. They’re often not scared of boats, some remember when they used to be fed by people. However, feeding dolphins is now illegal because their stomachs can't handle processed snacks like Little Debbie cakes and Cheetos.

Relying on such food can lead to health problems for them. Some older dolphins remember when humans fed them and sometimes approach boats. They sometimes have chunks missing from their dorsal fins, or large scars on their backs - most of the time this is from a boat encounter where they got too close.

One dolphin, named Chopper by the locals, who in her younger years liked getting feed and got close to boats. One day she got a little bit too close and now she is missing almost half of her dorsal fin. She is easy to spot! She recently had a calf and has been keeping her and her baby at a safe distance from boats ever since. 

Learn about other Hilton Head Wildlife

Alligators

Sea Turtles

Horseshoe Crabs