12.07.2019 – Denis, the whale magnet

Remember this day of the year, because it is a very special day! Actually, the 12th of July should be the Lobosondas Sperm Whale Day! What luck we had last year and this year we had a real whale magnet on board! He arrived from Germany: our unique whale magnet Denis, who can attract the sperm whale on his birthday (last year as well!). Such a nice experience!

First we were accompanied by a group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) moving towards Funchal. What a nice way observing them and bridging the time until the Sperm whale reappeared.

During our tour with the great “ace in the sleeve”, our whale magnet Denis, we saw Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) several times. Slowly they moved west. They breathed intensely, which may either be a sign that the animals have just turned up, or will soon submerge. We were there when they lifted their majestic tails. And because today was Denis birthday, the whale came up again and showed us his fluke a second time 🙂 But then he slide down into the deep blue to look for food, because Sperm whales eat averagely 900kg of fish and squid per day.

In the afternoon, the Atlantic Spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) thrilled everyone on board with their lively nature. But the highlight of this tour was definitely the little baby Bottlenose dolphin, which repeatedly shot curiously out of the water to watch us. Although dolphins have no lips to suckle, they are still nursed! The dolphin calf rolls its tongue around the mother’s teat and she presses the milk into the calf’s throat at high pressure. Nature always finds a solution!

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins

13:30 Atlantic Spotted dolphins

Stenella

12:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales

15:30 Atlantic Spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins