Rudolph is CMA’s first resident rough-toothed dolphin. He was found stranded in Sanibel, Florida in December 2019. He was brought to CMA’s stranding station at Fred Howard Park for rehab before becoming a permanent resident.
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Meet Rudy
Rudolph
- Age
- 8
- Sex
- Male
- Diet
- Herring, capelin, silversides, squid
- Rescue Date
- 12/16/2019
- Origin
- Sanibel, Florida
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More about Rudy
First Rough-Toothed Dolphin at CMA
Rudolph is a juvenile rough-toothed dolphin who stranded off Sanibel Island on December 16, 2019. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was first to respond to the stranding, assessed his health and transported Rudolph to Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s rehabilitation facility at Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, about 20 miles north of CMA.
Rudolph was in critical condition when he arrived but slowly began to show signs of recovery. During his recovery, the team at CMA observed behaviors from Rudolph that indicated possible hearing loss. A hearing test was performed by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) which uncovered that Rudolph does not have the hearing range to echolocate severely limiting his ability to locate food. Due to his hearing loss, NMFS determined he was non-releasable and selected Clearwater Marine Aquarium to be his forever home. CMA has a history of providing excellent care for dolphins who exhibit hearing loss, like Panama, PJ and Hemingway.
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