13.08.2024 – Body check with Stenella

At midday we had cuddly Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) on the Stenella. Afterwards we encountered a school of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). They were behaving unusually cautiously. Considering that they had tiny calves in their midst and are confronted with many boat contacts every day, this shows responsible behaviour on the part of the mothers. Their calves need rest periods so that they do not consume more energy than they get from their mother’s milk. The Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) that we encountered on the way back was incredibly sociable and checked us out very carefully. It was a real body check with Stenella.

The Loggerhead sea turtle is a fascinating species of sea turtle that can be found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Its reddish-brown shell, which can grow up to 1.20 metres long, and the massive head are characteristic features of this species. With a weight of up to 140 kilograms, it is one of the larger sea turtles. The Loggerhead sea turtle spends most of its life in the open ocean, where it travels great distances. It feeds mainly on crustaceans, molluscs and jellyfish, although its powerful jaws also enable it to crack open hard prey such as crabs and mussels. For reproduction, the females usually return to the beach where they were hatched. There they dig nests in the sand and lay several hundred eggs per season. The young hatch after 50-70 days and have to make the dangerous journey to the sea, where many fall victim to predators. The Loggerhead turtle is highly endangered. Their populations have declined sharply due to habitat loss, bycatch in fisheries, marine pollution and illegal egg collection.

The evening tour was quite difficult. The rough-toothed dolphins, which normally like to come into contact with the boats, behaved very cautiously. Apparently they also needed a rest.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Rough-toothed dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

13:30 Rough-toothed dolphins

17:00 Rough-toothed dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Rough-toothed dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

14:00 Rough-toothed dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Loggerhead turtle

17:00 Rough-toothed dolphins, Loggerhead turtle