22.04.2024 – Something big off our coast

Yesterday morning there was something big off our coast. Three Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) travelled through our waters and we were among them.

Fin whales are the second largest animals in the world after the blue whale. They can reach lengths of up to 24 metres and in this case a weight of up to 80 tonnes. An interesting fact about fin whales is that they are often referred to as the “grey dogs of the sea”. They owe this name to their slim, sleek shape and their fast swimming speed. Despite their impressive size, these large whales can be surprisingly manoeuvrable. They can reach speeds of up to 37 km/h. These characteristics make them fascinating and graceful sea creatures. Fin whales can be found in most of the world’s oceans. However, they mainly favour temperate and polar waters. During the summer months they migrate to colder waters to feed, and in winter they move to warmer waters to reproduce. They feed mainly on krill, but also on various fish species. They are known for their spectacular hunting behaviour, often eating large amounts of prey at once. Due to whaling and other human activities, fin whales are threatened with extinction. They are protected by various international agreements and organisations such as the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Our guests were also able to observe a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and a small school of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on the morning tour.

By midday, the fin whales had already left, but Bottlenose dolphins and Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), which we saw twice, could still be observed. The animals in the different groups were very relaxed when travelling.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Fin whale

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Striped dolphins, Fin whale

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Striped dolphins

16:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, Striped dolphins, Risso’s dolphins