20.07.2024 – “Driving” Dolphin Design

One of our captains is known for describing Rough Toothed Dolphins (Steno brendanensis) as a classic car. This is specifically in comparison to bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), which, to him, resemble a modern car. I have to say, I get it. The primordial reptilian faces of the Rough Toothed, with their hard edges, long snout, and large, sharp eyes, do somewhat resemble something from the 1960s—an old bonneville or cadiliac perhaps—allthough their mottled skin gives off the impression that they may have been forgtoten in a garage for a while. Likewise, it’s true that the bubbly appearance of a bottlenose pretty much resembles a Citroen C3 aircross. Furthermore, the Bottlenoses unrivalled intelligence amongst Cetceans may be compared to the computer wizardry that occurs within a modern citroen. The aerodynamic profile that gives the rough toothed the speed to easily keep pace with Stenella seems like what would occur if you let someone with a penchant for lowering cars design a dolphin, but as much as I love this anlogy, I have to contest it. Bubbly cars existed in the 1960s. Sharp corners are still seen on many top-line modern machines, and both of these animals are hyper-intelligent, highly social, fast-swimming delphinidae who (in captivity) have been shown to interbreed… But even if they’re not so different, and even if this analogy does not hold up at every angle, I’ll still be using it on tours in the coming months.

By Peter Worth

Sightings of the Day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Rough toothed dolphins

14:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins