[Research & Fieldwork - May 2001]
From May 14th to June 1st 2001, the Oman Whale and Dolphin Research Group were joined by Dr. Koen Van Waerebeek, a Belgian dolphin expert who is currently living in Peru. During his visit the group spent the early morning hours on their research boat studying spinner dolphins in their natural habitat to learn more about their behaviour and external morphology. In the afternoons, the group worked with Dr. Van Waerebeek in the Oman Natural History Museum. They made detailed examinations of the dolphin skulls and skeletons that are held in the museum in an effort to better determine whether dolphin populations here in Oman differ significantly from populations of the same species in other parts of the world. They focused on spinner, common, Indo-Pacific humpback and bottlenose dolphins. They also examined some of the more unusual skulls that have recently been found, including those of a pygmy killer whale and a Fraser's dolphin (see the 2000/2001 annual report for more details).
On May 21st, the group gave a presentation on their work entitled "Baleen and Bones: recent developments in whale and dolphin research in Oman". It was held in the PDO Oil and Gas Exhibition Center and formed part of a series of lectures organised by the Historical Association of Oman.