Odd fin seen off Mississippi coast marks return of ‘iconic’ sea creature, experts say

A bizarre-looking fin has been seen protruding from waters off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, and marine researchers say it’s something worth celebrating.

“Our Research Team is delighted to share that one of Mississippi’s most iconic dolphins has been seen again!” the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport wrote in an Aug. 27 Facebook post.

“Through the many years of IMMS’s photo identification research program, one dolphin stood out above all the rest — and he still does to this day! Meet Floppy_Valley!”

Floppy_Valley, a bottlenose dolphin, is known to vanish for up to year at a time, then mysteriously reappear when it suits him. He was most recently seen Aug. 14 in Louisiana’s Lake Borgne, officials said.

He came to the attention of researchers in 2007, thanks to his instantly recognizable fin, which is like a fingerprint for researchers.

The damage was likely the result of a boat strike, which is one of the greatest threats faced by the species.

“A propeller sliced his dorsal fin in two spots, causing the tall end of it to collapse to his left,” the institute says. “Luckily, it appears his fin has healed well.”

Bottlenose dolphins live up to 60 years and can reach 13 feet and 1,400 pounds, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Floppy_Valley is known to be something of a traveler and has been documented as far west as Louisiana’s Eloi Bay near the mouth of the Mississippi.

“Floppy’s home range is very large, and we believe he spends most of his time in the western Mississippi Sound,” the institute reports.

“The intentions behind his travels to Eloi Bay remain mostly unknown. Dolphins may move from one area to another in search of food or social opportunities, but our resident dolphins generally remain in nearby waters.”

He appears to have bonded with a dolphin the institute named Charlotte Ann. The two were first seen together in 2012 and “have been almost inseparable ever since,” the institute says.

Both are part of a long-term photo-identification study focused on bottlenose dolphins in the Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne and Biloxi Marsh.

Floppy_Valley was among the first to be cataloged and he’s one of dozens that “have documented propeller scars,” officials said.

“The Mississippi Sound is home to one of the largest populations of bottlenose dolphins in the United States. We have over 2,600 identified individuals,” the institute says.

“As our local top predators, dolphins are good indicators of the environment. If the dolphins are doing well, we can infer that everything below them in the food web is doing well.”

The institute has been studying the dolphins since the mid-2000s, including monitoring their movements, social dynamics, population health, and how they utilize their environments.

This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Odd fin seen off Mississippi coast marks return of ‘iconic’ sea creature, experts say."