Poke May 2024 Update
Poke is one of the original common dolphins we discovered in Port Phillip in 2005, or “OGs”, as they are fondly referred to at DRI. During this time, she has been a super-mum, giving birth to and raising six calves in the Bay!
We were very excited to see her in July this year with her newest one (below), only 4-5 months old at the time and doing very well, swimming diligently by its mother’s side. This excitement has since turned to concern after her calf has appeared to be missing from mums side in recent surveys.
Although we have seen Poke six times since then, her calf has been nowhere to be found. This begs the question of what could have happened to Poke’s newest calf. Due to its young age, estimated to be approximately 8-9 months old, it would be too young to live independently of its mum.
On average, Poke’s calves stayed with her for 1-1.5 years after birth. It is unusual that her newest one would have separated from her so early on.
We most recently saw her in February 2024 along with some other well known common dolphins – Tall Fin, Ragged Fin and Esther. We will keep an eye out for her missing calf on future surveys and update you with any further information.
