08.08.2018 – Summer dolphins
August 17, 2018
10.08.2018 – Whale he blows!
August 19, 2018
Us humans are very visual creatures; alone a sighting with a dolphin can get us excited and make us feel enchanted by the ocean. The encountered species of dolphins also took a curious glance at us on all our tours today. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) approached both our zodiac Stenella and our traditional boat, the Ribeira Brava, this morning. Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) had a good glimpse at our guests both in the water during our snorkeling tour as well as above the surface as they leapt alongside our boat.
While we are often lucky to observe the animals actually turning or leaping to glance at us during our sightings, research has shown that dolphins primarily rely on their acoustics to gain information on whats around them. This makes sense for marine mammals living in the ocean; as of 50m light penetration begins to reach a minimum and the ocean is absoultely pitch black after sunset. Dolphins use an organ known as the melon to gain information about their surroundings, which works using the „Doppler effekt“. Here, the melon shoots soundwaves into the ocean and fatty tissue in the lower jaw of the animals oscillates with the reflected waves, transmitting the received information to the ear of the animal.
If you happen to be swept by their biosonar in the water, you can literally feel the dolphins examining you. This is often the case during our snorkeling trips. The interactive spotted dolphins approach us „beak first“ and nod their heads as they scan us with their sonar. As it gets closer, the animal eventually turns its head to one side to get a good look at you. It’s quite an intimate moment but, of course, we aren’t complaining. On the contrary, we take the animals curiosity and their apparent interest in us, whether we are on the boat or in the water, as a rather delightful compliment.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Bottlenose dolphins
Stenella
09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins (snorkeling), Bottlenose dolphins
15:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
