16.03.2024 – Marine mammal morning

Our boats only ventured out for a morning tour today and both needed to search for quite a while to find animals at sea. Our speedboat finally managed a sighting with a relatively shy pod of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), that showed evasive behaviour when we arrived and then, thanks to the careful maneuveurs of our captain, gradually became curious. the careful nature on the side of the animals was probably due to the small size of the group and presence of a few calves. We soon left the pod and slowly drove in the direction of the marina to check if there was anything else to see on the way back but couldn’t find any more marine mammals.

After our speedboat entered the marina, our traditional boat finally got lucky and met a pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), an important marine mammal predator for Madeira before having a surprise encounter with Madeira’s most vulnerable marine mammal. On the way bak to Calheta our team found a Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) foraging close to the fish farms near Ribeira Brava. The tiny colony of around 35 animals in Madeira is one of the largest in the world and is under strict protection by the regional government. All sightings must be reported to the IFCN, the authority that accommodates the research team of the monk seal and is responsible for the conservation of nature in Madeira. Our team took pictures of the animal for identification and to underline once again how many predators forage opportunistically in the vicinity of the aquaculture. By compiling this information, ecologists can also better evaluate the possible impacts that these coastal fish farms may have on predator-prey relationships and coastal fauna.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Mediterranean monk seal

Stenella

09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins