University’s Marine Mammal Research Program attracts global audience | Schools

While the Gulf Coast draws crowds this time of year for summer recreation, University of Southern Mississippi graduate student Christina Perazio takes to the coastal waters of Mississippi for scientific pursuits that center primarily on the study of dolphins.

“We spend a lot of time in the Mississippi Sound, in fact we go six times a month,” said Perazio, who says the work is motivated by one primary quality of the dolphin. “No doubt — it’s their intelligence. I’ve always heard how intelligent they are. I enjoy every minute of researching them.”

Along with identifying more than 1,400 individual dolphins in recent years, the University’s Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Lab sorts out the residency patterns and habitat use of the Mississippi Sound.

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