17.10.2021 – Challenge
October 24, 2021
19.10.2021 – Golden skies
October 26, 2021
This morning the Ribeira Brava was at sea with a record length of over four hours. But the very long journey was worth it in the end. Some Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were extremely active.
A Sperm whale rolled onto its back, lifted its head out of the water, and opened its narrow lower jaw. This gave us a glimpse into the whale throat. Depending on their size, Sperm whales have 20-25 parallel rows of teeth in their lower jaw. The respective teeth fit into the hollows in the upper jaw.
An animal heaved its heavy body out of the water several times. A couple of times another animal’s tail lopping preceded it. Depending on their size, these toothed whales can weigh 20-50 tons out of the water.
Two other Sperm whales dived synchronously in a duet. A beautiful moment. Where in dolphins the animal is identified via the dorsal fin, in the Sperm whale’s tail is used to recognize the individual.
An interesting documentation about Sperm whales: “Sperm whales – Titans of the deep”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhcFCONHZvA
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Sperm whales
14:30 Cancellation due to weather conditions
Stenella
10:00 Sperm whales
15:00 Sperm whales
