Fungie the Dolphin, once one of Co Kerry’s most famous residents and tourist attractions, was the product of a maritime mixed marriage, according to new research.
The dolphin arrived in Dingle Harbour in 1983 and disappeared in October 2020, either to die or swim out to sea. In the intervening years he was a huge attraction for visitors and was happy to swim and interact with humans.
Research published in the journal Ecology and Evolution states that Fungie came from an unusual background – the product of mixed ancestry between the Shannon Estuary population of bottlenose dolphins and the offshore population.
The researchers said this was noteworthy, as most bottlenose dolphins tend to be genetically assigned to one distinct population.
Four other well-known solitary dolphins studied in Irish waters were genetically assigned to the offshore population.
The findings raise new questions about where Ireland’s solitary dolphins originate, and whether their origins could provide clues as to why some move inshore, remain apart from other dolphins and develop close interactions with humans.
The paper, Enhancing Intra-Specific Population Genetic Studies of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Irish Waters by Integrating Least Invasive Sampling and Environmental DNA (eDNA), was written by marine biologists at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU).
Fungie disappeared in October 2020, just as the project was beginning, and obtaining his DNA therefore presented researchers with an unusual challenge. The solution came from Denis O’Regan, a member of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), who had regularly swum with Fungie and had worn the same wetsuit during the swims.
Several areas of the wetsuit were swabbed and samples were sent for analysis. Laboratory testing subsequently confirmed that the genetic material recovered was dolphin rather than human DNA, allowing researchers to investigate Fungie’s genetic ancestry years after his disappearance.
[ Fungie the dolphin sustains deep blade wound in DingleOpens in new window ]
Researchers examined the genetics of bottlenose dolphins in Irish waters using samples from stranded and free-ranging dolphins. They were particularly interested in solitary dolphins – individuals that live apart from pods and can sometimes develop close interactions with humans.
Ireland has documented an unusually high number of solitary dolphins in recent decades, with bottlenose dolphins accounting for most of these. Others include Nick in Cork Harbour, Finn in Carlingford Lough, Dusty in north Clare and Nimmo in Galway City
Seán O’Callaghan, an ATU PhD candidate and study co-author, said the findings add an important new dimension to what is known about these familiar animals.
“This study provides a new insight into some of these familiar dolphins using non-invasive sampling techniques and contributes significantly to the wider knowledge of solitary dolphins globally and from where they may originate,” he said.
Dr Simon Berrow, a lecturer at ATU and founding member of the IWDG, who initiated the study, said why these animals become solitary remains an important unanswered question.
“Maybe they do not understand each other and use different vocal dialects, confounding communication, or perhaps they just have very different ecologies,” he said.
The paper was dedicated to Italian researcher Lorenzo de Bonis, who died in a climbing incident in west Cork last April. He was studying for a PhD in University College Cork (UCC).
The research also demonstrates the potential of minimally invasive and innovative DNA sampling techniques to provide new insights into marine mammals without requiring animals to be captured or directly handled.