02.10.2026 – Sad surprise
October 10, 2026
With four different species of toothed whales today, we saw a range of different behaviors and group size ! We had the chance to witness small babies during our encounters with the Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). Both are tropical species and found around Madeira mostly in the summer.
Rough-toothed dolphins are widely distributed around the globe but most available information on their ecology is from a few regions. They are one of the 10 most frequently observed cetaceans around Madeira, little is know about their fidelity to the island. From research, it seems that they are more of a transient species, showing short residence time, making them very high mobile animals. However, Madeira is still an important habitat, repeatedly visited by these groups.
Seeing newborns and small calves during summer is not rare as warmer conditions help them survive when they are born with very little body fat. The gestation period for rough-toothed dolphins is 10-12 months and cetaceans only give birth to one calf at a time. It takes a lot of energy to raise one!
By Juliette Colançon
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Rough-toothed dolphin
13:00 No sightings
Steno
09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Rough-toothed dolphin
16:30 Atlantic spotted dolphin, Blainville’s beaked whale
