18.11.2021 – Power package
November 25, 2021
20.11.2021 – Speculate
November 30, 2021
The incredibly calm waters outside Madalena do Mar were gently breached by a group of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) today that were travelling west together with a small pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). These two highly intelligent and extremely social cetaceans hardly seem to mind each others company and theories on how each profits from such interactions are various. What’s for sure is that todays conditions were perfect for admiring these animals! As the animals drifted alongside our traditional boat, their bodies were perfectly visible beneath the glassy surface.
Encounters with these two species always stands as a gentle reminder of how much intelligent life we have in our oceans and how worthy it is of our protection. Pilot whales are still being killed in many parts of the world while Bottlenose dolphins remain the most sought after cetacean for captivity. By stripping these animals of their dignity and exploiting their gentle, charismatic nature to make money we are increasingly at risk of losing the most important and intelligent creatures on our planet.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales
