20.03.18 – Spring feelings

I think it’s fair enough to assume that most people are overjoyed when spring finally arrives. The Lobosonda team, at least, was very happy to start the day with some warm sunshine and good conditions out at sea. Good weather usually means more comfortable tours for the guests and increases the possibility of successful marine encounters. We were able to see a high amount of Portuguese man-of-wars (Physalia physalis) gliding at the surface today, a sighting that is quite typical at this time of the year and is best appreciated with calm conditions at the surface. The sunshine also invites Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) to bask at the water´s surface, before diving down into the depths to feed. These marine reptiles enjoy spending their neritic phase around oceanic islands and are usually encountered on calm, sunny days.

We met two species of cetaceans on both Stenella tours, with all encounters involving feeding and mating behavior. Dolphins use the clicks generated for echolocation along with a series of cooperative strategies to hunt their prey and these vary according to region and prey. Hunting strategies are passed on to younger individuals in the her by means of social learning and may be typical for that specie of dolphin in that region. In Madeira we usually see dolphins pursuing and separating large fish schools using efficient teamwork, before feeding on the smaller school of fish. Such situations were captured using an underwater recording device and can be admired on Lobosondas social media sites (Below and Underwater sounds). In the case of Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) such feeding situations were also observed live by our guests during snorkeling tours.

by Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins; Common dolphins: Portuguese man-of-war

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins; Common dolphins; Portuguese man-of-war; Loggerhead turtle