Student projects
( 2 items )
MSc – Zoology
School of Biological and Conservation Sciences
University of KwaZulu-Natal
“Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) diet in relation to the annual sardine run”
This is a great opportunity to get involved in the UKZN sardine run project and to answer some unresolved issues surrounding bottlenose dolphin diet, especially in relation to the sardine run:
· What do east coast bottlenose dolphins eat?
· To what extent do bottlenose dolphins utilise the sardine run as a source of food?
· Is there any difference in diet between the resident and migratory bottlenose dolphin stocks?
The incidental capture of bottlenose dolphins in the Natal Sharks Board shark nets has afforded the opportunity to answer the above questions Gut contents have been collected and are housed in the Port Elizabeth museum, so the MSc candidate will spend about three months in Port Elizabeth completing these analyses. There will also be scope to contribute towards research during the 2008 sardine run.
An NRF bursary is available for this project and it should be possible to complete this project within a year. Interested candidates with current c.v.’s are to please contact the project supervisor, Professor Vic Peddemors at the following email address: vpeddemors@bio.mq.edu.au or PhD student Sean O’Donoghue on the following contact details: Email: 200202089@ukzn.ac.za, Work ph: 031 260 1570
