25.09.2022 – Confetti

Dolphins are very social creatures. They use their non-verbal communication skills to strengthen their connections. The jumping behavior plays an important role here. These jumps can express, for example, dominance, imposing behavior and joy. However, leaps are also used for purely practical reasons, such as getting rid of parasites and old skin cells and being able to move forward with less energy expenditure due to the reduced resistance in the air. Leaps are also used when hunting to keep the fish in an area.

Today, amidst steep waves, our Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) acted like confetti. Full of life energy, they catapulted themselves out of the water, skipped the crests of the waves and smacked the surface of the sea with perfect belly flops. Amidst the choppy sea, they seemed completely in their element. Small calves practiced this form of body language. Sometimes it still looked a bit awkward, after all, this also has to be practiced. But most of the time we saw perfect leaps, even with the little ones.

When we left port, we had information from our spotter that a baleen whale was in the area. He hadn’t seen him for a while, though. We were lucky! A Tropical whale (Balaenoptera edeni) showed up to us a few times. His slender, dark body glided gracefully through the waves.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

15:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Tropical whale

Stenella

10:00 no sighting