tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/south-africa-coast-27991/articlesSouth Africa coast – The Conversation2017-06-20T20:33:00Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/784202017-06-20T20:33:00Z2017-06-20T20:33:00ZFrog fossils tell us something new about rain patterns on South Africa’s west coast<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174664/original/file-20170620-24907-z4ljia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Computed tomography scans of a frog skeleton. These fossil frogs are useful to track climatic change.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author supplied</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around 5.1 million years ago, fascinating and now extinct animals like sabre-toothed cats, wolverines and short-necked giraffe <a href="http://www.fossilpark.org.za/pages/background.html">roamed the west coast</a> of South Africa. The fossils of these species came to light after metres of concealing sand was removed during phosphate mining more than half a century ago. This took place in an area known as <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825211000237">Langebaanweg</a>, a region which lies on Africa’s south west coast, 150km north of Cape Town. </p>
<p>The site is home to an incredibly rich and diverse selection of fossils. These provide information on the evolution of numerous different animal groups. The fossils include many taxa which are usually poorly preserved or absent, such as birds and small reptiles and amphibians. The site also contains species which make a first appearance in the fossil record including some small rodents, frog and bird species, as well as large mammals like elephants, giraffe and other ungulates.</p>
<p>The fossil deposits provide an opportunity to investigate changes in the ocean, atmosphere and terrestrial environment, all of which contribute to understanding climatic and environmental change in the past. This, in turn can help us understand how species might survive major climatic changes in the future. This is valuable information given the threat that climatic change poses. </p>
<p>Fossil frogs are a particularly useful group to track climatic change. Their breeding habits are tied to rainfall patterns. The fact that many species have precise habitat requirements, as well as the fact that they have small home ranges, makes them a more suitable climatic proxy than larger animals. </p>
<p>And their fossils have taught us something interesting – that the current pattern of winter rainfall in the area is a relatively new phenomenon. This finding contradicts what’s been commonly accepted among scientists for decades; that the area has had winter rainfall stretching back 11 million to 10 million years. <a href="http://www.sajs.co.za/implications-summer-breeding-frogs-langebaanweg-south-africa-regional-climate-evolution-5-1-mya/thalassa-matthews-g-john-measey-david-l-roberts">Research</a> on frog fossils shows that in fact the winter rainfall pattern set in much later than previously assumed.</p>
<p>This kind of information is vital for an understanding of the evolution of the current winter rainfall regime. This is turn will help predict how future climatic change and global warming is likely to affect the region, and to plan for it. </p>
<h2>A time of change</h2>
<p>The period when the bones were accumulating – 11 million to 10 million years ago – was <a href="http://www.fossilpark.org.za/pages/sc-environ.html">a time of global climatic change</a>. The animals of the region were undergoing modification with the genera of modern animals becoming established. The taxonomic rank of genus (plural genera) represents a group of animals or plants with similar traits and qualities. </p>
<p>Frog bones are frequently recovered from archaeological and palaeontological sites. They are particularly useful for reconstructing ancient environments but often remain unanalysed because of a lack of interest or expertise.</p>
<p>Due to their breeding habits and biology, they are sensitive indicators of changes in rainfall and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-future-for-frogs-looks-bleak-unless-humans-change-their-habits-57505">climate</a> over time.</p>
<p>For a long time scientists believed that the winter rainfall regime of the Western Cape, and the inception of dryness on the west coast, date back some 10 million to 11 million years ago. This is when the <a href="http://www.fossilpark.org.za/pages/sc-benguela.html">Benguela</a> current first became established. The current wells up along the west coast, carrying cold and nutrient-rich waters, and together with the persistent, strong South Atlantic high-pressure system is one of the two main causes for existing aridity along the south-western coast and Namibia.</p>
<p>In addition, isotope analysis of the animal bones and teeth from large mammals at Langebaanweg showed that the region was dominated by vegetation like fynbos and grasses which grow predominantly under winter rainfall. The presence of these <a href="http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1666/0094-8373%282002%29028%3C0378%3ANEFTLO%3E2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=pbio">plants</a> was used as evidence of a winter rainfall regime. </p>
<p>But this was a rather erroneous assumption because many fynbos plants and grasses grow in both summer, winter, and all-year-round rainfall zones.</p>
<p>The Langebaanweg frog fossils have shed new light on the issue. <a href="http://www.sajs.co.za/implications-summer-breeding-frogs-langebaanweg-south-africa-regional-climate-evolution-5-1-mya/thalassa-matthews-g-john-measey-david-l-roberts">Research suggests</a> that the area was getting relatively high rainfall that fell partially, if not entirely, in the summer months. </p>
<h2>A frog tale</h2>
<p>The first discovery that points to this was that there were a very high number of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21564574.2014.985261">frog species</a> – 23 in all were identified. Such a high number in one locale is only seen today in the eastern parts of South Africa which receive very high rainfall.</p>
<p>Some of these species were both winter and summer breeding frogs. But the identification of two frog species belonging to the genus <em>Ptychadena</em> (Grass frogs) from Langebaanweg provides new and compelling evidence for a summer rainfall regime, or of at least significant summer rainfall in the southwestern Cape 5.1 million years ago. This is because these species are <a href="http://www.sajs.co.za/implications-summer-breeding-frogs-langebaanweg-south-africa-regional-climate-evolution-5-1-mya/thalassa-matthews-g-john-measey-david-l-roberts">summer rainfall</a> affiliates. </p>
<p>This first direct evidence for summer rainfall on the west coast at 5.1 million years ago contradicts the common assumption about the area having a winter rainfall regime as far back as 10 million years ago. </p>
<p>The lowly frog has taken us a leap forward and has helped unlock some of the mysteries of the past west coast climate. This indicates that the evolution of the west coast winter rainfall pattern is more complex, and possibly occurred much later, than previously thought.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78420/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thalassa Matthews receives funding from The National Research Foundation and the Centre of Excellence for Palaeontology. </span></em></p>Fossils of the lowly frog indicate that the evolution of South Africa’s west coast winter rainfall pattern is more complex, and possibly occurred much later, than previously thoughtThalassa Matthews, Palaeontologist and research associate, Nelson Mandela UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/731392017-02-16T13:43:35Z2017-02-16T13:43:35ZRising sea temperatures are shaping tropical storms in southern Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157095/original/image-20170216-12975-11oytuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some of the destruction in Inhambane, Mozambique after tropical storm Dineo made landfall.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Steven Clarey/Twitter</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A tropical storm – named <a href="http://citizen.co.za/news/news-national/1427761/severe-tropical-storm-heading-to-sa-warns-weather-service/">Dineo</a> – has swept in from the Indian Ocean, causing extensive flooding as it hit landfall in Mozambique. More damage is threatened as it swings south and west.</p>
<p>Tropical storms are classified once clouds have reached an organised cyclonic formation and wind speeds <a href="http://www.hko.gov.hk/informtc/class.htm">have exceeded 60km/h</a>. The storm can be upgraded to tropical cyclone status if these exceed 120km/h. Tropical cyclones are classified on the basis of strength and are measured according to the <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php">Saffir Simpson scale</a>. This was <a href="http://novalynx.com/store/pc/Saffir-Interview-d51.htm">developed in 1965</a> by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and climatologist Robert Simpson to classify tropical cyclone damage.</p>
<p>Regions bordering the East, West and South Pacific are influenced by considerably more tropical cyclones each year <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.3932/epdf">than southern Africa</a>. An average of between five and 15 tropical cyclones make landfall on islands and continents in those regions each year. The southern African sub-continent, meanwhile, experiences one every few years. This is partly because most of the South Indian Ocean tropical cyclones make landfall on Madagascar and never reach <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.4204/full">the main continent</a>. </p>
<p>Studies over the past half century in southern Africa show that there’s been a southward shift in tropical cyclones in the region, and in particular the location of their landfall. <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.3932/epdf">One study looked</a> at the records of tropical cyclones in South East Africa going back 66 years. Another investigated 19th century <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.4204/full">tropical cyclone landfalls in Madagascar</a>. </p>
<p>Tropical storm Dineo provides another piece of evidence of this trend. The question is: what’s behind the shift?</p>
<p>The shift southwards, the position of the storm’s formation, and the later landfall are all because of increasing sea surface temperatures associated with <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.3932/epdf">global scale warming</a>. Tropical storms require sustained sea surface temperatures that are <a href="http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A16.html">higher than 26.5°C</a>. The Indian Ocean’s sea surface temperatures have increased by <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2012GL052975/full">0.3°C since 1960</a>, taking them over the tipping point of 26.5°C level sea surface temperatures. This has led to storms forming where it was previously too cold for this to happen.</p>
<h2>Naming conventions</h2>
<p>Why has the storm been called Dineo? A storm of this nature is given a name once it becomes classified as a tropical storm. Tropical storms are named alphabetically for each ocean basin from the beginning of each year from a list of names pre-decided at meetings of the <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/About-us/FAQs/faqs-tropical-cyclones/tropical-cyclone-naming">World Meteorological Organization</a> with submissions from countries in the region. The names are common first names of people from the region in question. Initially these submissions could only include female names. Male names have also been allowed since 1978. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"831896599198568448"}"></div></p>
<p>The name Dineo was submitted by Botswana. Other names on the alphabetical list were selected from countries including Lesotho and Tanzania. Fourth in the alphabet, Dineo was the fourth storm in the South Indian Ocean that reached tropical storm status. If the list of names is exhausted, Greek letters are used <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames_history.shtml">for subsequent storms</a>. Many named tropical storms and tropical cyclones do not reach the coastlines of islands or continents, and so one doesn’t hear about them in the news.</p>
<p>In 2005, the North Atlantic basin experienced so many tropical storms that experts worried they might have to start with <a href="http://www.livescience.com/9351-hurricane-center-run-names.html">the Greek alphabet</a>.</p>
<h2>Damage, and damage limitation</h2>
<p>Dineo may not reach tropical cyclone status but its effects are still likely to be disastrous. The last tropical storm to make landfall this far south on the continent was <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-015-1691-0">tropical cylone Dando in 2012</a>. Dando caused widespread, prolonged flooding in Mozambique. It also destroyed homes and national infrastructure. Five people were killed and thousands displaced. </p>
<p>The effects were worst along the coastlines, where the storm conditions were paired <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-015-1691-0">with storm surges</a> which resulted in extreme waves crashing onto the shoreline. </p>
<p>In South Africa, the storm resulted in severe flooding in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0035919X.2016.1167788">the Limpopo province</a>. Roads and bridges were destroyed, interrupting water and electricity supply, and leaving months of rehabilitation work to be done. </p>
<p>The tourism sector was severely affected, as were many of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0035919X.2016.1167788">the region’s</a> other economic centres.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157093/original/image-20170216-12946-2rzb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tropical cyclone tracks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">International Journal of Climatology</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tropical storm Dineo has already calmed down. It lost a lot of energy as it made landfall on Mozambique’s coastline, and will continue to weaken as it moves further east. Tropical cyclones and tropical storms gain energy through the evaporation of water over the sea. Without this energy source they quickly downgrade to tropical depression status.</p>
<p>The development of such storms and the destruction they cause shows the need for proactive strategies to mitigate their effect. These should be in place to manage the damage done by extreme winds and flooding. </p>
<p>Strategies to deal with this problem include improved sea barriers to limit the impact of storm surges, improvement of road and bridge infrastructure to withstand storm conditions, and evacuation plans to prevent the loss of human life. But there aren’t many examples of countries taking effective steps to deal with tropical storms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73139/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Fitchett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In southern Africa there’s been a southward shift in the occurrence of tropical cyclones in the region. This is due to sea temperatures increasing as a result of global warming.Jennifer Fitchett, Lecturer in Physical Geography, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/602842016-06-02T15:03:02Z2016-06-02T15:03:02ZHow insight into southern Africa’s dolphins is being deepened<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125000/original/image-20160602-23298-phwk0g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some dolphins live close to the shore, where they regularly encounter humans. This is affecting their numbers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Elwen</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>South Africa has a wide range of oceanographic conditions around the coast. As a result, there is a diversity of cetacean species. These are large-bodied, fast-moving top predators like dolphins and whales. Globally, at least a quarter of these species are listed as endangered. Understanding how these species move and live is crucial to understanding their ecological relationships with the environment.</em> </p>
<p><em>The E3C – Effect of Climate Change on Cetaceans – <a href="https://seasearchafrica.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/mapping-dolphin-distribution-using-citizen-science/#more-526">project</a> looks at the impact climate change has on these species. The Conversation Africa’s energy and environment editor Ozayr Patel spoke to Dr Simon Elwen, a researcher with South Africa’s University of Pretoria working on the project.</em></p>
<p><strong>Globally, at least a quarter of whale and dolphin species have been listed as endangered. What are the main reasons?</strong></p>
<p>Many of the large whale species and populations that were subjected to commercial whaling have been very slow to recover, notably the Antarctic blue whale and the North Atlantic right whale. But the majority of large whale populations have been increasing slowly over the past few decades. Species are gradually leaving the threatened lists, thanks to wide-ranging international conservation efforts. The most important of these is the end of whaling, showing that stopping directed take – in other words “not killing animals” – is one of the most effective conservation strategies. </p>
<p>But the bad news is that many dolphin and porpoise populations are the ones now facing extirpation. The Maui’s dolphin of New Zealand and the vaquita of the gulf of California are both critically <a href="http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/news-releases.html">endangered</a>. The baiji, the Chinese river dolphin, has already been declared extinct due almost entirely to habitat loss in the <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061214-dolphin-extinct_2.html">Yangtze River in China</a>. </p>
<p><strong>What is the state of dolphin species around Africa’s coasts? What threats do they face?</strong></p>
<p>In southern Africa most dolphin populations are thought to be fairly healthy. There are five species that are regularly seen from shore, including the Heaviside’s and dusky dolphin on the west coast and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose and Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, which are found to the east of Cape Point in Cape Town. There are several other species that inhabit the shelf and offshore waters, with the common dolphin being one of the few of these regularly seen close to shore, especially along the south-eastern part of the continent. The only species that is currently thought to be of concern is the <a href="http://www.sousaproject.org/">humpback dolphin</a>, <em>Sousa plumbea</em>. </p>
<p>The humpback dolphin lives along the southern Cape coast and off northern KwaZulu-Natal province. This entire population in South Africa likely numbers less than 1,000 individuals and lives extremely close to shore, where it regularly encounters humans. This results in things like boat traffic, pollution, habitat loss and prey depletion having an impact on these species. </p>
<p><strong>Why are dolphins, in particular, important in the ocean’s ecosystem?</strong></p>
<p>Dolphins and whales are large, highly mobile top predators. They can eat a lot of food and respond quickly to changes in the environment by moving large distances, depending on the species. As large predators, they can have a top-down role in ecosystems, suppressing the numbers of prey animals. What this means is that sometimes species near the bottom of the food chain, like sardine or anchovy, can increase when medium-level predators are removed by top predators such as seals, sharks and dolphins, a result shown in a number of ecosystems globally.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125001/original/image-20160602-23298-1n81plu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dolphins and
whales are known to be top predators.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Elwen</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>What is unique about the South African coast that makes it so diverse?</strong></p>
<p>South Africa’s marine life at all trophic levels is remarkably diverse, thanks largely to the diversity of habitats available around the coast. It ranges from tropical at the Mozambique border, to temperate along the south coast and cool-temperate along the west coast. </p>
<p>From a mammal point of view, the cold waters of the Benguela ecosystem along the west coast provide a link to sub-Antarctic environments, so some species that are usually only found south of 40 degrees of latitude also occur in the Benguela, like southern right whale dolphins and pygmy right whales.</p>
<p><strong>Commercial fishing practices, gill nets and pollution are viewed as the most serious challenge to dolphins. Are these serious problems in African and South African waters?</strong></p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, bycatch – the unintentional catching of a species – is thankfully not a major problem in South Africa. There is no gill netting in South Africa. Coastal net fisheries are scarce and most of the large-scale commercial fishing activities in South Africa occur in deeper waters than most of our coastal dolphin species occur.</p>
<p>But entanglement in lobster and octopus trap lines is an increasing concern for large whales in coastal waters. Recent data on organic pollutants in dolphins from the east coast suggests that DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls are <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.5b06009">still a concern</a>, especially for coastal dolphin species like the humpback and bottlenose. </p>
<p><strong>What effect is climate change having on dolphins?</strong></p>
<p>Essentially, assuming no other changes in the ecosystem – which is somewhat naive – we expect a general pole-ward shift in the distribution ranges of most cetacean species. This isn’t likely to be a major problem for animals that move large distances in the relatively uniform and connected environment of the open ocean. But it will potentially have major impacts on some coastal species, especially those that live in habitats that are “dead ends” in this respect (like the southern coast of Africa).</p>
<p>Along the South African coast, several dolphin species live in the Benguela, which is currently thought to be cooling – against the general trend of climate change – due to increased winds and upwelling of cold water. Right now we don’t really know how adaptable these animals are to massive changes in temperature in either direction, should they occur.</p>
<p><strong>What other major conservation tactics are used to help dolphins survive and thrive?</strong></p>
<p>1) Don’t kill them! In any form, including entanglement or bycatch, hunting or pollutants.</p>
<p>2) Stop polluting the oceans – including noise, plastics and organic pollutants.</p>
<p>3) Stop harassing them – obey the laws and use responsible tour operators.</p>
<p>4) Don’t steal their food – eat <a href="http://wwfsassi.co.za/">sustainably</a> caught fish </p>
<p><strong>You have started a project involving citizen scientists. Why have you taken this route?</strong></p>
<p>Citizen science projects have been extremely successful both locally and internationally. Modern communication methods like mobile phones and the internet allow scientists to rapidly communicate with thousands of interested and knowledgeable observers to increase the number of eyes and ears available to collect data. We can’t be everywhere, and our boat surveys and acoustic methods are limited in the amount of area or time they can cover, so we are trying to take advantage of the large number of keen whale and dolphin watchers around our Cape Town’s coasts to report sightings to us.</p>
<p>Remarkably, the area around Cape Town itself has been quite poorly studied by cetacean scientists in the past. So citizen science offers us a potentially powerful route to massively increase the number of data points of dolphin and whale sightings around the area.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60284/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Elwen works for the University of Pretoria and runs the Sea Search Africa research group. He receives funding from the National Research Foundation amongst others. </span></em></p>Globally, a quarter of whale and dolphin species are endangered. Though South African dolphin populations are generally in good heath, the humpback dolphin is cause for concern.Simon Elwen, Research Fellow, Mammal Research Institute, University of PretoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.