17.08.2023 – Top of the food chain

Our boats drove out onto a breezy Atlantic Ocean this morning, with our zodiac venturing around 7 nautical miles offshore to meet a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). These usually curious dolphins only paid brief attention to our boat since they has more important things on the agenda: hunting. The pod was very small and dispersed, indicating that the prey they were pursuing may also have been moving in a fairly small group. Our traditional boat managed a sighting a little closer to shore where a pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) was discreetly cruising by.

In the afternoon both species were encountered on all tours on the Stenella. The restricted range of our traditional boat only allowed us to meet one of each during both our afternoon tours, but our team made the most of these encounters and they were simply marvellous.

Both dolphins are important predators in the waters of Madeira, regulating the ecosystem from the top of the food chain. While Bottlenose dolphins hunt a variety of prey in the waters along the coastline all year round, spotted dolphins tend to fulfil their job as top-down regulators in the deep offshore waters during the summer months and are by far the most abundant cetacean species during this time of the year. 

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins

14:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins