These locals have fins.

You come to Anna Maria Island for a getaway. Some of the dolphins in nearby Sarasota Bay? They’re already home.

The bay has a year-round resident community of bottlenose dolphins, with families researchers have followed for six generations.

Since 1970, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has studied these remarkable animals—the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population in the world. Researchers recognize individual dolphins and follow their families, friendships and lives over decades.

One resident’s story is especially extraordinary: Nicklo lived to about 67 years old, becoming the oldest documented wild dolphin in the program’s records.

So that dorsal fin breaking the surface might belong to a longtime local with quite a family story.

Dolphin sightings are never guaranteed. But the possibility of seeing wild dolphins is one more reason to slow down and enjoy this beautiful corner of Florida.