23.04.2025 – Leatherback

Today we had various species of marine mammals on the different tours, such as Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis).

I was particularly impressed by our two different species of sea turtle today. We regularly see Loggerhead turtles. On our morning tour, the Loggerhead turtle was accompanied by many fish friends. There are some very nice photos of the morning Stenella tour. On one you can see that it has opened its mouth. Take a look inside.

At lunchtime there was a surprise! A Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)!!! Since I’ve been here in Madeira, I’ve only seen this species of sea turtle once or twice. So it is a very, very rare visitor. It is the largest sea turtle in the world. It can grow up to 2.5 metres long. In this case, it weighs over 900 kilograms.

Unlike other sea turtles, it does not have a hard shell, but consists of a thick, leathery skin that makes it very flexible. This is how it gets its name. They are true world travellers, covering thousands of kilometres and living mainly in the open sea. They often cross entire oceans in search of food. Their main food consists of jellyfish, which they grab with their sharp beaks. The animals are threatened with extinction and are strictly protected. Plastic is a major problem for them, as they confuse it with their favourite food, jellyfish. They can dive to depths of up to 1000 metres in search of food.

Their breeding grounds are usually on tropical sandy beaches, to which they return every few years to lay their eggs. A nest can contain over 100 eggs. The young are at great risk from predators when they hatch. Very few reach adulthood.

The body temperature of the Leatherback turtle is unusually high for reptiles. This allows them to survive in cold seas.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sichtungen des Tages

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins

13:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales,  Atlantic spotted dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Loggerhead turtle

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Leatherback turtle

16:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins