In February and April Dolphin Academy welcomed two healthy baby dolphins named Chispa and Nubia. Click the video below to see how the babies are doing now that they are a few months older. (Information about our other dolphins can be viewed below the video when you scroll down.)
Meet our dolphins
All our dolphins are Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins. This means that they are territorial and in their natural habitat they prefer to live in shallow waters like bays and along the coast of the continental mainland.
The bottlenose dolphins that are seen in the water surrounding Curacao are commonly known as Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins. Other species that frequent the island are the spinner dolphin and the striped dolphin. We hereby like to introduce you to our friends and collegues...starting with Copan.
Copan
Copan is the oldest and wisest of the group born in 1979. He is the dominant male and the proud father of baby Li-Na, Chabelita, Kayena, Tikal, and Pasku. Copan is one of the dolphins that participates in the Open Water program!
Tela
Tela was born in R.I.M.S. Roatán Honduras on the 18th of November 2000. She is a female with a strong but very loving character. She's very enthusiastic and chatters a lot. Since Dec. 25th 2008 she is the proud mother of her son Pasku.
DeeDee
DeeDee is born in 1995 and loves everything that involves Speed and Height. She is the proud mother of Li-Na (27-09-2005) and Tikal (4-12-2008) who enjoy exactly the same things a their mother. DeeDee recently gave birth to Chispa on the 23rd of February 2011 and is the third child of dolphins DeeDee and Copan. She is a very active little girl that honors her name, that means ‘spark’ in Papiamento, very well.
Annie
Annie is a very enthusiastic and playful female born in 1996. She's very vocal and loves adventure. Especially riding the waves during the Open water Program.
Bonnie
Bonnie is a female, born in 1990, and the calm one of the group. She is the proud mother of baby Chabelita who was born at the Dolphin Academy on November 1st 2006. Bonnie likes to be pampered and enjoys personal attention.
Ritiña
Ritiña is a young enthusiastic female born in 2004 and moved to Dolphin Academy from the Sea Aquarium in february 2010. She is very playfull and loves to investigate everything in her surroundings.
Li-Na
Li-Na is the daughter of Copan and DeeDee, who was born at the Dolphin Academy on Tuesday September 27th 2005.
Li-Na is a bright, playful and a naughty lady.
The name Li-Na is Chinese for "beautiful and graceful".
In September 2008 Li-Na moved to the CDTC where she now assists in the Dolphin Therapy together with with half-sister Chabelita, and Papito, GeeGee and Mateo
Chabelita
Chabelita is the daughter of Copan and Bonnie who was born at the Dolphin Academy on November 1st 2006. She is a very curious girl who enjoys exploring everything around her. She is named after a local children's song called Chabelita, which was written by the local poet Elis Juliana.
In February 2010 Chabelita moved to the Curacao Dolphin Therapy Center where she is assisting in the Dolphin Assisted Therapy together with half-sister Li-Na and Papito, GeeGee and Mateo!
Roxette
Roxette is a young female born in 2004 is very active and inquisitive. Together with Caiyo she moved to Dolphin Academy from the Sea Aquarium in September 2008. She is very independent and self-willed and loves to learn new behaviors.
Caiyo
Our young male Caiyo was born in 2004 and moved to Dolphin Academy from the Sea Aquarium in September 2008. Caiyo is a calm but curious young dolphin who enjoys checking out everything new around him.
Kayena
Kayena was born on November 18th 2007, and is the daughter of Teresa en Copan. She is a very playful and curious little girl. Her name is derived from a local flowering plant called the Cayenne. In the native language Papiamentu the word Cayenne is written and pronounced as Kayena.
Tikal was born on December 4th 2008. He is the second child of Dolphins DeeDee and Copan and his first born son on Curaçao. Tikal, just like his dad, is named after the Mayan ruins in Central America he is a very active and inquisitive little boy who loves to play with his baby brother Pasku.
Pasku was born on Christmas day, December 25th 2008 and is the first baby of Dolphins Tela and Copan. He is a second generation baby since his mother was born at R.I.M.S. in Roatán Honduras out of parents Rita and Esteban. They are now grandparents.
Pasku means Christmas in the local language Papiamento, he is a sweet and easy going lad who is best friends with his brother Tikal.
Chispa was born on the 23rd of February 2011 and is the third child of dolphins DeeDee and Copan. She is a very active little girl that honors her name, that means ‘spark’ in Papiamento, very well.
Romeo
Romeo is a young male born in 2004 and moved to Dolphin Academy from the Sea Aquarium in february 2010.
He is an easygoing dolphin that likes to hang out with his finned friends and the trainers of Dolphin Academy.
Nubia
The tenth baby dolphin that was recently born at Sea Aquarium and Dolphin Academy is called Nubia. The dolphin facility wanted to celebrate the tenth dolphin baby in a big way and did that by announcing a naming contest that was also released abroad. The name Nubia means cloud in Papiamento, the local language of Curaçao. The winning entry came from Sandra van der Voort from the Netherlands.
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