Protect Marine Wildlife

04/15/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰? 🐬

Today is National Dolphin Day!

It’s a great time to appreciate the beauty of our oceans and the incredible animals that call them home— but also to recognize the growing threats they face, and the urgent need to protect the waters they depend on.

Dolphins (and all marine wildlife) face a range of challenges in today’s oceans, many of which are a direct result of human activity— from plastic pollution to entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, and more.

🦦 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩:
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle to limit ocean pollution ♻️
• Properly dispose of fishing gear and never leave it behind ❌
• Choose sustainable seafood options 🦞
• Support organizations working in marine conservation 🦭

You can also join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵

🐳 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞?

Protect Marine Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to increase funding and expand resources for research, rescue, and rehabilitation of sick or injured marine wildlife.

** All images/videos were collected under NMFS Permit # 27369-01 **

12/23/2025

Fun fact: Dolphins are homodonts, meaning they have only one type of tooth! Unlike humans, who are heterodonts with four different kinds of teeth, dolphins don’t chew their food at all. Instead, they swallow their prey whole.🐟

Because of this, they don’t need teeth for grinding or tearing— just for catching their prey. While their cone-shaped teeth are perfectly designed to grip slippery fish, if a tooth breaks or falls out, it won’t be replaced. 🐬

Join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by checking out our website or purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵🌎

** All images/video were collected under NMFS Permit # 27369-01 **

Photo credit: Stephen D. McCulloch

11/20/2025

𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖? 🐬

Dolphins have ears— just not external ones!👂 Instead of the usual ear flaps we see on land animals, dolphins have tiny pinhole-like openings tucked behind their eyes.

This sleek, streamlined design helps them glide effortlessly through the water by reducing drag — a perfect example of how their bodies have evolved for life in the ocean!

Dolphins also pick up sound through specialized fat-filled channels in their lower jaw. This allows dolphins to detect sound with stunning precision, even over long distances or in murky waters. 💥

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄? 🐳

Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to increase funding and expand resources for research, rescue, and rehabilitation of sick or injured marine wildlife.

You can join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by checking out our website or purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵🌎

** All images/videos were collected under NMFS Permit # 27369-01 **

11/13/2025

Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance (PWDA) is a charity fueled by the dedication and expertise of a diverse team of professionals united by a single mission: the conservation and protection of marine wildlife and the ocean they call home.
Our organization is committed exclusively to supporting scientific and educational initiatives— specifically those aimed at safeguarding marine mammals and other marine wildlife. This is made possible by the funds acquired from the Protect Marine Wildlife specialty plate sales.

One such initiative funded by PWDA is a photo-identification (Photo-ID) study of the local dolphin population in the Florida Keys. Photo ID is an environmental management tool utilized by researchers to carry out behavioral and ecological studies, offering critical insight into dolphin behavior and the effects of anthropogenic (human-induced) stressors on the animals that would be otherwise difficult to obtain.

With permits issued by NOAA Fisheries, researchers collect high-resolution photographs of wild dolphins’ dorsal fins— each of which is unique, serving as a natural identifier for individual animals and allowing researchers to establish a catalogue of the local wild dolphin population in the Florida Keys. As a result, researchers are able to gather key information like habitat utilization, abundance, and sexual reproduction– data which reflects both the health of the animals and the environment that they live in.

The dolphin pictured in this post was among the first individuals catalogued in this photo-identification study. Since the study began, this dolphin (nicknamed BTOP) has been recorded on 11 separate occasions, all on the bayside of the Upper Florida Keys. These repeated sightings indicate a high degree of site fidelity, or a tendency to return to the same area. Individuals like BTOP that are frequently sighted contribute valuable data to photo-ID studies, such as the information described above.

𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏?

When you purchase a Protect Marine Wildlife specialty license plate, you're supporting vital rescue and research efforts— not just in Monroe County, but across the entire state of Florida. Every plate sold helps fund organizations working to research and rescue marine wildlife. Do your part (and drive around in style) by purchasing a Protect Marine Wildlife specialty license plate today at the link in our bio!

11/12/2025

Proud to be featured in Keys Weekly 💚

Animal rescue and rehabilitation organizations around the Keys are seeing their helping hands repaid, thanks to grants supplied by Florida’s Protect Marine Wildlife license plate. Created by the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, the specialty plate in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina uses money raised from vehicle registrations to directly support activities that contribute to the conservation and protection of marine mammals and other marine wildlife species. Since August 2023, the alliance has awarded more than $275,000 in grants. On Oct. 24, representatives from the alliance made a visit to the Marathon Wild Bird Center to present the latest in a string of donations: a $10,000 check to support the activities of founder Kelly Grinter’s team. Grant monies will fund an additional staff member to care for non-releasable ambassador animals, along with support for the center’s general operating fund, Grinter told the Weekly. Pictured, from left: alliance executive officer Dr. Brian Joseph, Wild Bird Center board member Wendy Gates, Grinter, alliance founder Steve McCulloch, and Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder’s Nicole Sears and Brieanna Wagler.
- ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

Animal rescue and rehabilitation organizations around the Keys are seeing their helping hands repaid, thanks to grants supplied by Florida’s Protect Marine Wildlife license plate. Created by the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, the specialty plate in Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina uses money...

09/04/2025

𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖? 🐬

The name 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐧 is a misnomer. The bottle-shaped body part is called their 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦, not their nose.

In fact, their true nasal opening is the blowhole, located on top of the head and used for breathing. The blowhole is also responsible for the production of vocalizations!

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄? 🩵

Protect Marine Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to increase funding and expand resources for research, rescue, and rehabilitation of sick or injured marine wildlife.

You can join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by checking out our website or purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵🌎

08/12/2025

𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖? 🪸

All seven species of sea turtles are considered 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 or 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅.

This is largely the result of anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and oceanic pollution.

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄? 🐳

Protect Marine Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to increase funding and expand resources for research, rescue, and rehabilitation of sick or injured marine wildlife.

You can join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by checking out our website or purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵🌎

07/24/2025

🐬 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖?

Dolphins have between 80 - 100 cone-shaped teeth, but here’s the twist... they don’t use them to chew! 🦷

Instead of breaking down their food like we do, dolphins swallow their prey whole.

Swallowing fish whole helps prevent the spines from getting caught in the dolphins’ throats. Their teeth are mainly used for grabbing and holding slippery prey like fish— not for chewing.

🐳 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄?

Protect Marine Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to increase funding and expand resources for research, rescue, and rehabilitation of sick or injured marine wildlife.

🦦 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏:

You can join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵

** All images/videos were collected under NMFS Permit # 27369-01 **

?

07/11/2025

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰? 🐬

Bottlenose dolphins have a 12-month gestation period. Once their calves are born, they stay close to their mothers for 3 to 5 years— sometimes even longer!

During this time, calves learn essential survival skills like feeding, socializing, and exploring their environment.

🐳 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞?

Protect Marine Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to increase funding and expand resources for research, rescue, and rehabilitation of sick or injured marine wildlife.

You can join us in supporting those at the forefront of research and conservation efforts by purchasing our specialty license plate at the link in our bio— because your choice matters. 🩵

** All images/videos were collected under NMFS Permit # 27369-01 **

06/09/2025

Happy !

Did you know the ocean covers over 70% of Earth’s surface? 🌎 Not only is it responsible for over half of the oxygen we breathe, but it plays a key role in regulating climate and weather patterns!

Despite being vital to the health of our planet, the ocean and those that call it home face threats that only we have the power to stop. To purchase a Protect Marine Wildlife specialty plate and learn more about our mission, visit the link in our bio! 🫧🩵

** All images/videos were collected under NMFS Permit # 27369-01 **