13.12.2018 – Scar tissue

We had sightings of two very charismatic cetacean species today, both of which can be encountered throughout the year in Madeiras waters; the Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and the Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). During the sightings with both species, we had some curious individuals approaching our boat allowing our crew to get some lovely underwater snapshots of the more inquisitive members of the herd.

These close encounters allow our guests to appreciate details on the animals body that are not be visible at a distance. One feature which becomes more apparent is the presence of several scratches and scars all over the animals body. This is quite a common observation in cetaceans and leads to the popular misconception that these scratches solely result from aggressive behaviour amongst the animals or with prey during hunting. In actual fact, these scratches may simply result from body contact within the herd.

Body contact is extremely important for the social life of toothed whales, a family of cetaceans that are notorious for their gregarious nature. These emotionally sophisticated beings rely to a high degree on „verbal“ communication using a variety of squeaks, buzzes and other sounds within a language we are still struggling to decipher. Whatever is communicated acoustically is further strengthened through body contact. The underwater images captured during todays tour only strengthen this notion; the animals swim alongside one another occasionally seeking body contact.

The markings resulting from these social shenanigans are also useful for recognizing the animals at sea or later on land using photo-identification methods. In cetaceans scar tissue isn’t necessarily a grim reminder of a dark encounter, it’s simply a souvenir of past happenings, both good and bad. As they do in the case of human beings, scars also define the animals as individuals.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales