Tangalooma Island Resort

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Tangalooma Dolphins

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Sex: Male

Birth Date: Early 1992

Position in Pod: As far as we know, Rani is Bess's first calf, first arriving at the feed with her in 1992. Although Nari's older brother, Rani also has a close bond with Echo, and feeds with our other mature male, Bobo, in Lane 4.

History: Rani first arrived at the feeding program with Bess when he was just a young calf, and first hand fed in March of 1993. His name, Rani, is an Indian word for 'queen', as he was actually believed to be a girl until he was six years of age!

ID Features: Rani is very large and dark in colouration, Rani is easy to distinguish from the other dolphins at Tangalooma. His dorsal fin, sharp and wedge-shaped, has two large notches in the trailing edge and a small 'flag' on the very tip. Rani also has quite a unique 'beauty spot' just behind his blowhole, making him easily identifiable when observing the dolphins from the jetty.

Personality/traits: Being just a young calf when Echo, the orphaned dolphin, arrived at the feed, the two have grown up together and maintained a close bond ever since. We believe Echo and Rani are part of their own 'bachelor pod', a group of male dolphins that hunt, feed and herd females together. Rani often tries to assert his dominance over the other dolphins, cheekily sneaking over to the other dolphins' lanes during the feed!

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