12.03.2024 – Not without my mummy

Our Stenella tour took place on a relatively choppy ocean this morning and our team had to search far and wide to find animals. After an eternal search, our team managed a sighting with a nursery pod of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), consisting of several females and tiny calves. The little ones were obediently gliding alongside their mothers through the wavy waters, using the hydrodynamic pull of their mothers swimming to keep up with the pod. One of the calves even curiously approached our boat before quickly darting back to its mothers side. 

Dolphin calves learn absolutely everything they need for survival from their mothers, including breathing at healthy intervals, hunting strategies and social skills that will help coordination with other fellow pod members. The calves enjoy their mothers protection and care for between 9-19 months and, once that waning period ends, begin swimming independently with other pod members. Common dolphins rarely remain with their birth pod but may continue to associate with birth pod members.

Most of what we know about dolphins, including the mother calf relationships, comes from studies involving Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to the point that we tend to base our knowledge on all species of dolphin on what we know about Bottlenose dolphins. This of course isn’t the right approach, in the case of Bottlenose dolphins, the weaning period can last up to 6 years so calves remain with their mothers for much longer periods. In any case no calf mother action could be observed with the single individual we met outside Cabo Girão today but it’s good to be aware of the variety that comes with all the different dolphin species.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella 

09:30 Bottlenose dolphin, Short-beaked common dolphins