18.11.2025 – Family business

Today the sun was shining and the ocean was calm so perfect weather for another day of trips. This time we god lucky to spot some species which take family very important. I speak about the Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). These animals live in family groups and all participate in caring for the babies and offsprings. Both species are deep diving animals reaching considerable depths when they go hunting for squids in the deep sea. The offsprings can’t reach those depths. That is why they stay at the surface and wait for the adults to come back., but they are not alone. There is always one adult nearby acting as a babysitter for all. This might be the mother, aunt, older brother or sister and the role is shared between all. When they go hunting the next time another will stay back as babysitter while the last one can fill its stomach in the deep sea.

Apart of these species we also encountered Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). They don’t live in so fixed family groups like Pilot whales and Sperm whales. Raising the offsprings is manly the job of the mother and that is why they build a strong bond between mother and child.

By Horst Schulte

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-finned pilot whales

13:00 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Short-finned pilot whales, Sperm whales

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales