Connect
We support those with whom we are connected. Connection has to do with the quality of our interactions. It is the depth, meaning, and substance of our interactivity that define the integrity of our relationships. When we share a personal bond, we are instinctively driven to support and protect one another.
Connections
We would like to express our gratitude to the following people and organizations who work on behalf of the whales and the ocean. They inspire us to do our part to bring conscious awareness to the sea and its precious inhabitants.
Fellow colleagues and technical divers at Project Baseline have helped us to cultivate the mindset, skill base, and inspiration to conduct long-term observational research as citizen scientists.
Here are ways that you can support us and the whales:
1. Join a Field Session:
In partnership with Adventure Quest X, we offer trips for aspiring citizen scientists to join us in Dominica as we document the whales. Participants enjoy daily excursions aboard a research boat to observe and enter the water with the whales when circumstances permit.
We strive to provide an enriching experience by sharing our knowledge, expertise, and affinity for the resident whales and social units. Whenever possible we introduce them as familiar individuals and families. Please note that we purposely downplay the recreational nature of these trips. While the encounters are fun and fulfilling, we are conducting a long-term anthropological study. We respect the whales far too much to treat them as commodities for our pure entertainment.
The field sessions are designed for kind-hearted people who are serious about learning and whose values align with our desire to prioritize the welfare of the whales. We welcome your positive attitude, enthusiasm, and willingness to support our project.
To learn more and join a trip, visit: https://www.adventurequestx.com/dominica
2. Visit Our Online Store:
We are in the process of creating of original artwork and merchandise inspired by the sperm whales of Dominica. This portion of our offerings is presently in its early stages and we’ll make an announcement when items are available.
Featuring:
Hats, rash guards, water bottles, and custom paintings of whales by Rio Sares
3. Donate to Help Fund Our Study:
4. Follow Us On Social Media:
Please join us on other social media platforms!
Interspecies Connections: Ariel and Spindle Neurons
Sperm whale social groups embody the meaning of connection. They travel, hunt, sleep, socialize, and raise their young together. Their life-long relationships are built on cooperation and shared identity as a family. While they may not be close enough to see one another they are always connected through language and sound, able to protect and support each other whenever needed.
When they gather to rest and socialize, sperm whales are cognizant of the moods, needs, and dispositions of fellow group members. They physically engage in demonstrative forms of social bonding that are lovingly tactile and emotionally fulfilling. We witness their close connection in the quality of their exchanges, in the way they look at and interact with one another. It is clear that they know each other intimately and care about each other deeply.
Their predisposition to social connection is rooted in neurobiology. Sperm whales possess an abundance of specialized brain cells called spindle neurons that support the ability to interact socially, form long-lasting bonds, and exercise self and social awareness. The cells play a specific role in generating social emotions like empathy, trust, guilt, and embarrassment. They facilitate the rapid and intuitive interpretation of emotionally sensitive situations, and enable the whales to experience love, suffer emotionally, and express a sense of humor.
This complex cell system is found in only highly intelligent, sociable mammals. It is interesting to note that while there are a profusion of spindle neurons in the human brain, they are three times as abundant in the brains of sperm whales. The presence of these specialized cells help explain the complex and enduring relationships maintained within their social units, and may also influence their receptivity to human interaction.
One of the reasons that we are so drawn to sperm whales is that they have the ability to make us feel seen and appreciated. When the whales choose to, they conspicuously direct their attention towards us whether we are looking at them from aboard a whale watching vessel or are in the water with them as researchers.
On the occasions when the whales choose to engage with us in the water, we find it to be a palpable, multi-sensory experience. We watch them eye us with deliberation, hear their clicks and creaks when they approach, and feel the vibration of their sonar waves reverberate through our body when they scan us. We are emotionally touched when they show genuine interest in us, and are humbled when they recognize us as
individuals.
There are several whales in Dominica who behave as though they remember and welcome us from year to year. They appear to have the emotional sophistication to exercise social discernment. Having earned their trust, they intentionally approach us to acknowledge our presence, and for a brief moment we share an interspecies exchange of mutual appreciation.
The following experience serves to illustrate the social intelligence and emotional generosity of these whales. This encounter occurred during our 2021 field session and was instigated by an extraordinary young whale named Ariel.
I first met Ariel in 2018 when she was just a few months old. She was playing with two calf mates from her social unit and despite being the youngest of the trio, she was extremely curious and precocious. We developed an immediate rapport and she would vie for my attention each time I entered the water to observe her social group.
We saw each other a year later and she was equally as friendly and seemingly pleased to reconnect. Ariel is featured in a number of SWD videos where you can see her twirling, nursing, sleeping, cajoling with calf-mates, and entertaining herself with a coconut.
Unfortunately our 2020 field session was canceled due to travel restrictions. In 2021, I was uncertain that she would recognize me after two years, even if we were able to find her social group along the coast of Dominica. Fortunately we located Social Unit A on the second day of our project while they were sharing a rest period with another group.
Even though there were over a dozen whales present, Ariel sought my attention moments after I entered the water. She had grown so much that I scarcely recognized her, but her body language confirmed her identity. She positioned herself directly in front of me, spun to thoroughly scan my body, tilted her head from side to side to make eye contact, creaked loudly, and bubbled on the surface before descending to rest with
her group.
This heartwarming welcome was remarkable in itself, but what transpired next was even more profound and emotionally moving. Shortly after her warm greeting, Ariel disappeared completely from view. Several minutes later she returned in the company of a small calf.
As they approached from afar, Ariel clicked and emitted codas while slowly and deliberately guiding the new member of her social unit towards me. She nudged the little calf until she was directly in front of me. After making the introduction, Ariel sank a few feet below the surface to keep an eye on the calf while producing distinct sounds of encouragement. She intently watched our exchange as the calf grew increasingly more confident. This video captures the essence of the experience:
To me, this encounter represented a conscious expression of interspecies connection. I believe that Ariel chose to introduce me to a new addition to her family. I felt honored to receive such a sacred gift and grateful beyond measure to have earned her trust.
We continue to be awed by the benevolence of this species and hope that our work inspires you to appreciate the social sophistication and emotional sensitivity of these whales. They have much to teach us about cultivating kind-hearted social connections in order to enhance the richness and quality of our lives.
