Behaviour is the primary way animals interact with their environment, from predators shaping prey communities to grazers structuring seagrass habitats, every behaviour matters. Animal behaviour links physiology, ecology, evolution, and conservation, providing a crucial bridge between how animals function and how ecosystems are shaped.

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The study of animal behaviour has rapidly expanded over the last decades with the realization that behaviour is key to understanding, and potentially protecting, ecosystems. Advances in technology, from biologging and GPS tracking to automated video analysis, now allow us to study animals in ways that were impossible just a few years ago.

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Why do animals do what they do? How do behavioural decisions scale up to influence populations, communities, and ecosystems? And how does a changing environment shape behaviour in real time?

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The Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation is excited to offer a Behavioural Ecology Course hosted at the Bimini Shark Lab. The course focuses on understanding the complex behavioural ecology of marine ecosystems; through daily field trips, presentations and personal encounters with many marine species. Participants will receive daily lectures from experts actively working in the field of marine research, led by Dr. Matt Smukall, President and CEO of the Bimini Shark Lab, and behavioural ecologist Dr. Félicie Dhellemmes. 

 

This course explores how behaviour evolves, why individuals differ consistently in how they behave, and how animals compete for limited resources in complex and dynamic environments. Students will examine behaviour as both a cause and consequence of ecological interactions, including predator–prey arms races and the emergence of collective behaviours such as schooling and coordinated movement.

 

Understanding behaviour is increasingly central to modern marine science, with direct applications to conservation, fisheries management, and ecosystem-based approaches to ocean stewardship. As an emerging and fast-growing field, behavioural science offers perspectives and tools that extend beyond traditional biology courses, providing students with a unique lens through which to understand how marine ecosystems function and respond to environmental change.

 

The 6 night / 7 day field course will be held at the Bimini Biological Field Station (The Shark Lab), a relatively isolated research and education facility on the island of South Bimini, The Bahamas, 46 miles across the Gulf Stream from Miami, Florida. Course dates are June 24 - 30, 2026. There will be 14 participant positions available.

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The diverse habitats and species assemblages of Bimini, provide an ideal location to gain insight  about the behaviour and ecology of various marine species. Participants will get firsthand experience snorkelling/wading in mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, sand flats, and coral reefs. Classroom lectures and presentations will complement field activities, and provide engaging material about the research that has been conducted by the Shark Lab, behavioural ecology, and how behaviour impacts the conservation of species.

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Please note that activities in the field may be physically taxing. Bimini is a sub-tropical climate, and field activities will be conducted during the hot summer with intense sun, high humidity, and buggy conditions. Field activities will require several hours on small boats and surrounded by water. Therefore, participants should be in good physical health and prepared for long days in the field. While there is no diving or snorkelling experience necessary, participants need to be comfortable in open water conditions.