At NMMF, we are privileged to work with marine mammals under professional care, providing top-tier veterinary expertise to these remarkable animals. This unique opportunity deepens our understanding of marine mammal health and drives innovations that improve both managed care and wild population conservation. By studying these animals, we develop new medical techniques and treatments that address critical health issues and refine veterinary practices worldwide.
Expert Care for the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program
For more than 50 years, the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program has partnered with bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to perform vital missions, from underwater security to search and recovery. NMMF’s Animal Health and Welfare team provides veterinary care for these animals, ensuring their health, longevity, and wellbeing. These intelligent and highly trained animals thrive under expert care in San Diego Bay, contributing not only to national security but also to groundbreaking research that advances marine mammal conservation worldwide.
Veterinary Care and Research
As a key contractor for the U.S. Navy, NMMF delivers comprehensive medical care, advances marine mammal medicine, and pioneers new techniques to enhance animal health and welfare. We collaborate with leading specialists worldwide, including NOAA, Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, and UT Southwestern, to integrate innovations from both human and veterinary medicine.
Our holistic approach integrates traditional veterinary medicine with broader health considerations such as aging, nutrition, social behavior, cognition, and physical conditioning. By working with animals in dynamic, open-ocean environments, we test and refine practices that elevate care and strengthen conservation.
Key Research Areas
Our research tackles the most pressing health challenges faced by marine mammals. Our integrated approach brings together scientists, veterinarians, and field biologists to investigate key focus areas:
Like humans, dolphins can develop metabolic disorders such as fatty liver disease and kidney disease. Our research explores diet-based interventions that can prevent and treat these conditions, while also integrating diagnostic tools to monitor metabolic health.
Our team uses advanced imaging techniques to assess cardiovascular and neurological health in aging dolphins and sea lions. These studies help improve the quality of life for older marine mammals and provide insight into age-related diseases.
NMMF is at the forefront of developing diagnostic assays, treatment protocols, and supplements tailored to marine mammals, ensuring early detection and disease prevention that enhances both individual care and population-level health.
Building on the legacy of NMMF founder Dr. Sam Ridgway, we continue to lead the field in safe, effective anesthesia. In collaboration with engineers and veterinary partners, we’re developing a next-generation marine mammal ventilator. This innovative technology has the potential to support the treatment of stranded animals, and may have applications for human medicine.
Through multi-institutional collaborations and long term studies with the Office of Naval Research, we are identifying acoustic and biological markers of health and welfare in marine mammals.
Conservation Impact
The animals in the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program provide one of the world’s most complete health datasets. These lifelong medical records help us identify patterns and improve both routine care and emergency response for marine mammals in any setting.
24/7 On-Call Veterinary Support for Endangered Species
Our veterinary teams provide on-call support for endangered species worldwide, including real-time virtual guidance and on-the-ground support for rescue and rehabilitation. We provide critical veterinary expertise, support for rescues and health assessments, and capacity-building efforts that help empower communities to care for their native wildlife. In doing so, we help ensure these rare animals receive the best possible chance at survival.
Saving the Vaquita
As part of VaquitaCPR, a multi-institutional collaboration to save the last vaquitas, the NMMF played a key role in emergency conservation efforts to prevent its extinction. Our team brought decades of marine mammal care experience to one of the most urgent conservation actions in history.
Underwater ECG Monitoring
In partnership with Luna Labs, we are developing the first wireless, wearable, underwater ECG for dolphins. This breakthrough will allow real-time heart health monitoring in free-swimming animals and could also benefit human divers.
Dolphin Reproductive Health Following Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Research with Navy dolphins helped uncover why Gulf of Mexico dolphins suffered reproductive challenges following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These findings now inform field assessments of wild populations.
