21.11.2020 – Eyes on land
December 1, 2020
Plankton and Nekton
December 5, 2020
Before the next stormy weather, we had the chance to go out to sea. It didn’t take long until we had the first sighting. It was a group of reticent Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). There was a very brief approximation, but that was it. No closer contact was possible.
The Blainville Beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) were only seen from a distance. Our guests really exercised patience, but there were no further appearances of the animals.
We do wish our guests a great, close and intense encounter, but sometimes the animals are simply reserved. We have no control over the part of nature, the behavior of animals. It is the animals’ free will that allows close encounters or sometimes prefers to keep a distance.
From a distance, Bottlenose dolphins and Blainville beaked whales may look somewhat similar. In this case, however, the placement of the dorsal fin is crucial for identification. In the Bottlenose dolphin it is in the middle, in the Blainville beaked whale it is offset backwards.
A highlight were definitely the colorful crabs that we could observe along the coastline at the end of the tour.
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
14:30 Bottlenose dolphins
Stenella
10:00 Striped dolphins, Loggerhead turtle
15:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Blaineville Beaked whales
