They can cause dolphins to become stressed, disoriented and weakened. Aquarium workers named the dolphin Sandy for the Coast Guard personnel from Sand Key Station who took the animal to the aquarium. Sandy has no apparent signs of trauma but cannot swim on his own. He does, however, have several shallow cuts and a small bite believed to be from a cookie-cutter shark, which Baran said is not uncommon for spinner dolphins because they feed on the same type of fish shark eat. He has definitely calmed down since he's been here.
Spinners live in close contact with each other, traveling together almost on each other's backs.
I just feel like he is so alone. He has a certain quality that tugs at your heart strings. Sandy has made several attempts to navigate the 20-foot diameter pool on his own. And he has traded in a feeding tube for hydrated fish, which are fed to him every two hours, along with vitamins, antibiotics and medication for an esophageal ulcer. The spinner dolphin is an off-shore mammal that is much smaller than the more common bottlenose dolphin.