13.06.2018 – White perls in the blue sea

How can a day be more beautiful as visiting dolphins in their environment? There is not better way to enjoy a day during Holidays! Our todays guests from the morning and afternoon surely agree, there are not many things which are better. 🙂 These little instants which turn out to be great and most likely unforgettable moments! A dolphin turning around and you can look in it‘s beautiful eye; little stars in the water created by the sun; jumping dolphins and your heart jumps as well; high communication whistles, which let you wonder, what they might say; the movements of the animals in glassy seas, which gives you the feeling there is no boundary between you and them … all these snap-shots can tell only part of todays story! It was a day enriched with Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Atlantic Spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and some very special guests, the Risso dolphins (Grampus griseus). Many hundredfold little moments of happiness!

During our morning trip Bottlenose dolphins greeted us with their curiosity and joy to jump. With this species we quite often discover linear scratches on their bodies. To say it right away: dolphins are not alway in OM, sometimes they can be quite gruff. Sometimes they bite in a playful way but this is a serious way to discuss their ranking.

As in between“ intermezzo“ we saw the sociable Atlantic Spotted dolphins and the beautiful Common dolphins, both species always a feast for the eyes. To our surprise we had as well Risso dolphins, the white perls in the Atlantik. They didn‘t came close to the boat but their shiny white bodies are absolut eye catchers!

Their mystical signs on their pearly bodies accrued due fights with their conspecifics or they are residues of squits. It almost looks like hieroglyphics language, which tells the very special story of life for every animal. Risso dolphins are the only marine mammal with another extraordinariness, a vertical frontal lobe.

Even if this dolphins species sometimes might eat fish, their prefered favorite dish is cephalopod. The reduction of teeth and modification of the cranium is an adaptation on their diet. This is called „teutophagy“.

The afternoon was as well beautiful. It was summer and winter at the same time. Common dolphins prefering cold waters and are our winter dolphins and Atlantic Spotted dolphins prefering warmer waters and for that reason are our summer dolphins were seen. And again many amazing finest moments with lots of interaction which left our guests with the impression that only being in the water brings you closer to these animals.

A day which can‘t be more beautiful …

by Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic Spotted dolphins, Common dolphins, Risso dolphins

13:30 Common dolphins, Atlantic Spotted dolphins