Our Coast to Coral Community talk series is back for 2020! Join Reef Check Australia and friends on the second Tuesday night of each month at Sea Life, Mooloolaba, for an evening of discovery, inspiration and appreciation of our local marine, coastal and catchment environments.

This month we will hear from Dr. Alexis Levengood from the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Alexis is a behavioural ecologist with a passion for marine mammals and a focus in social evolution. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Biology and Environmental Studies from Connecticut College and spent two years travelling the world studying manatees, great white sharks, and various species of dolphins and whales. In 2012 she moved to Scotland to complete a Masters in Marine Mammal Science. Most recently, Alexis completed her PhD here at the University of the Sunshine Coast where she studied long-term avoidance behaviour in bottlenose dolphins as part of the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project (SBDRP). Now Dr. Alexis continues her work with SBDRP in addition to working as a part-time Research Fellow at the University and teaching on courses such as Animal Behaviour and Marine Vertebrates.

About the Talk: Bottlenose Dolphins: are they really as friendly as Flipper made them out to be?

From mythology and historical records to popular television shows like Flipper and even today’s research, we know dolphins as highly social, intelligent animals. But there is a component of their lives that we have been overlooking for decades, if not centuries. Dolphins actually avoid individuals more than they prefer them! This talk will discuss dolphin friends and their avoidances and uncover the many reasons why dolphins avoid one another. Come hear about the secret social lives of bottlenose dolphins across Australian waters.

The talk will be held in the Seal Stadium at SEALIFE Mooloolaba. Doors open at 6:15 pm for a 6:30 pm start. Stay after the event for a discussion with the presenter and other attendees and enjoy a pizza-rific snack.

6:15: Grab a seat
6:30: Talk kicks-off
7:15: Pizza & good sea-minded conversation!

This initiative is hosted by Reef Check Australia, and proudly supported by Sunshine Coast Council's Environment Levy partnerships grant and the June Canavan Foundation with amazing in-kind support from SEALIFE Sunshine Coast.

Thanks also to these awesome local businesses supporting these events with giveaway sustainable goodies, Onya, Bokashi Ninja, Surfing Green, Seastraws, Ever Eco, Boomerang Bags

For more information email [email protected] or check out our Facebook event page.