08.10.2025 – Thanks
October 17, 2025
10.10.2025 – A celebration of cetaceans
October 19, 2025
If you want to see the animal which most closely resembles the prehistoric Ichthyosaur don’t look further than the Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). You simply have to add a pair of fins to the hip and flip the fluke to her vertical and voilà you have an ichthyosaur. This is because Rough-toothed dolphins have a more conical head, which looks more similar to a reptile than a dolphin. The behaviour though is most probably completely different to Ichthyosaurs. For example Rough-toothed dolphins are known to swim parallel like a greek phalanx in perfect synchronisation. Why they do it is unknown though, like so many things as this dolphins is not well studied.
By Horst Schulte
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins
13:00 Rough-toothed dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins
13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins
16:30 Rough-toothed dolphins
