Light-footed
December 26, 2019
Collateral damage
December 28, 2019
The Christmas traditions are varied, with some giving the presents on the 24th, but for others the gifts are only on the 25th under the Christmas tree. A walk in the snow, candlelight, contemplation are good ingredients for relaxed Holiday days.
With us, however, everything was different today …
Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) all over the wave chests and in the middle of it we saw little Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) whizzing.
… This gift of nature out at sea was a great Christmas wow for our guests.
Do you remember dear guests that we talked about the altruism of marine mammals? Whales and dolphins have a social culture! Cross-species support behavior is documented again and again. After our tour I found a post on Facebook about a Melon headed whale, which was adopted by a group of Bottlenose dolphins. The foster mom has even looked after her foster child longer than is customary for her species. A nice Christmas story, don’t you think?
May species human beings take this cross-species support behavior, this form of social culture to heart again and again and follow this example, also in relation to nature.
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Pilot whales, Atlantic Spotted dolphins
Stenella
10:00 Pilot whales, Atlantic Spotted dolphins
