Fractal analysis reveals pernicious stress levels related to boat presence and type in the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus

► We investigate the diving patterns of dolphins in response to boat presence and type. ► Mean diving times did not differ with boat presence and type. ► The scaling of cumulative probability distribution differ with boat presence and type. ► This indicate an increase in stress levels due to boat traffic. ► This boat-induced pernicious stress has implications for species conservation.