Cape Fear Dolphin Research
Fin ID gallery

Meet the Cape Fear dolphins.

Just like fingerprints, every dolphin's dorsal fin is unique. We recognize individuals by their notches, nicks, scars, and shape — features visible even from a distance. These are some of the animals we track season after season.

Then & now

Following the same individuals over time shows how they grow, heal, and change. Here are two of our most recognized Cape Fear dolphins.

Triton

Our longest-documented Cape Fear dolphin

CFDR-001
Triton — June 19, 2022June 19, 2022

Triton was first documented in UNCW surveys up the Cape Fear River near Wilmington in 2000, our longest-documented dolphin in the region. His dorsal fin — once a three-peaked silhouette — began to collapse in June of 2025; it appears that an infection may have set into the original wound, and the fin has since folded over.

Triton — August 8, 2021August 8, 2021

Swimming left on August 8, 2021, this perspective shows a slight list to the left. Triton's three-peaked fin was the most recognizable dorsal fin around the Cape Fear region for years of surveys.

Triton — June 13, 2026June 13, 2026

Swimming left on June 13, 2026 gives a clear perspective of the collapsed, folded-over fin.

Cookie

A local Cape Fear success story

CFDR-002
Cookie — May 2, 2025May 2, 2025

Cookie (foreground) swimming with Madre — about two weeks old here, before the shark bite. Weekly fin photo-identification determined that Cookie was born in the Cape Fear region in mid-April 2025, making this a local success story of survival and resilience.

Cookie — April 24, 2026April 24, 2026

The shark bite injury is believed to have occurred about June 9, 2025. Cookie was last documented doing well on April 24, 2026, just off Battery Island in the Cape Fear River — the fin now fully healed.

Other aquatic friends

Dolphin Ringo — Notch near the tip of the trailing edge

Ringo

CFDR-007
Dolphin #20 — Tall, gently curved fin with faint rake marks

#20

CFDR-020
Dolphin #21 — Pointed fin with small nicks along the upper trailing edge

#21

CFDR-021
Dolphin #22 — Broad triangular fin with a rounded tip

#22

CFDR-022
Dolphin Moonpie — Tall fin with fine scratches and a worn leading edge

Moonpie

CFDR-023
Dolphin #24 — Notch in the upper trailing edge

#24

CFDR-024
Dolphin #25 — Tall fin with a small nick near the tip and light scarring

#25

CFDR-025
Dolphin #26 — Large chunk missing from the upper trailing edge

#26

CFDR-026
Dolphin #27 — Wavy trailing edge with shallow notches

#27

CFDR-027
Dolphin #28 — Sharply pointed, falcate fin

#28

CFDR-028
Dolphin #29 — Distinct notch high on the trailing edge

#29

CFDR-029
Dolphin #30 — Ragged double notch near the tip

#30

CFDR-030
Dolphin #31 — Deep bite out of the upper trailing edge

#31

CFDR-031

Photos by Cape Fear Dolphin Research. All images watermarked LivnOcean.

Want to follow one of these dolphins?

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