07.01.2023 – The catch

Our guests on the Ribeira Brava encountered four Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the morning near a small boat. Did they sensed the snapper that was just fished? With their sonar, they can understand their surroundings very clearly with ease. In the front part of the head there is a fat lens, called a melon, through which the sonar is sent out into the environment. As soon as these sonar waves hit an object, they are sent back like an echo. The sonar is not picked up in the melon, but in the lower jaw. On either side is an oil duct that carries the sound to the inner ear and from there to the brain, which converts it into very clear information.

Snappers (Lutjanidae) are marine fish that belong to the group of sea basses. Most snappers live at shallower to medium depths. But they also occur at depths of up to 500 meters. They are active predators that prefer to hunt at night. On their menu are for example fish, crabs, shrimp, crustaceans, snails and cephalopods.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Snapper

Stenella

10:00 Bottelnose dolphins, Common dolphins