11.04.2024 – A Sea Symphony
April 18, 2024
13.04.2024 – A Day of Discovery
April 20, 2024
We were blessed with such a gentle, wonderful morning. A real gift! Firstly, we observed a school of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) travelling in a calm rhythm with us. Our spotter had already told us that he had discovered Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris). However, the otherwise shy little whales were not at all reserved. They swam leisurely around us. We had a rare and very unusual encounter with them. They were on their best behaviour. The male was a very handsome guy and the females with their beautiful bedroom eyes were pretty.
The midday tour was also great. I had a lot of fun with curious kids who had lots of interesting questions and had a lot knowledge themselves. We saw our Bottlenose dolphins close to the coast, a school of Common dolphins a little further out and the group of Blainville’s beaked whales that we also had this morning.
A fascinating aspect of Blainville’s beaked whales is their unusual communication. They use complex clicking sounds to communicate in the dark depths of the oceans and explore their surroundings. The click sounds can vary greatly depending on the situation and purpose. They are used, for example, to echolocate prey and also for social interaction within their groups. The exact meaning and variety of these clicks are the subject of active research and fascinate scientists who are trying to decipher the language of these mysterious deep-sea hunters.
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Common dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales
13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales
Stenella
09:30 Common dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales
13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales
16:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins
