15.07.2019 – Big friends

There’s a good reason we specifically look for Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on our snorkelling tours. It can be a tough order for our spotter on land to deliver the exact animal we would like him to find and they are not always there. But when they are, it’s an unforgettable experience! It is incredibly rewarding to see these animals playing with our boat and giving us a little peak into their world.

But the Spotted dolphins were not the only cetaceans out and about today. Short finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorinchus) are easily identified from their large rounded dorsal fins. As we get closer, the iconic round melon-shaped black heads of these deep divers greet us. Then suddenly a different dorsal fin shows up!

As a guide it’s always nice when the animals illustrate exactly what we want to explain. So when a sharp finned, long beaked dolphin, a Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in this case, shows up right between a school of pilot whales even a novice whale watcher can clearly see the different shapes associated with the different species.

Bottlenose dolphins are well known for their interactions with other species, they have been studied interacting and traveling, mostly cooperatively with many other cetacean species and even humans. They are known to forage with other dolphins, stick around larger whales for protection, even coordinate their hunts with fishermen! And there are (although rare) even sightings of hybrid species, between a false killer whale and a bottlenose dolphin, for example.

A group of these beautiful agile and playfull creatures could drive off or even kill a shark if needed. But amongst a school of their big friends, the pilot whales, they can feel safe from most threats.

It was an interesting day out on the water, the sea was full of surprises as always. And we look forward to every next opportunity to go out and explore.

By Scott Dorssers

Sightings of the day

Stenella

9:00 Atlantic spotted dolphin

15:30 Atlantic spotted Dolphin, Short finned pilot whale

Ribeira brava

13:30 Atlantic spotted Dolphin, Short finned pilot whale, Bottlenose Dolphin