27.08.2019 – Prato do dia

“Prato do dia”, what does that mean? “Daily special!” And what was on the menu of our Atlantic Spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) today? Flying fish (Exocoetidae) was the dish of the day. The small, nimble dolphins were spreaded over a large area. And who was yelling? The Cory‘s Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis)! Well, these are our concert birds, of course. Pay attention to it during the night … very beautiful concerts with sweet, funny voices that you can hear in the evening close to the cliffs. Normally they are not heard on the sea during the day but when talking about fish, they can get into a discussion. They too enjoyed eating flying fish. Take a close look at the photos! In one photo, one of these noise makers sails ominously over a flying fish, who only has flight in mind.

What else is on the dolphin’s menu? Various species of fish, small squid and sometimes crustaceans.

This morning the island was shrouded in smoke and I felt as if our little world here, was holding its breath. It was a strange, a quiet silence. And there is time to understand that on the other side of the world, a whole universe is in dire straits! The Amazon, a multi-faceted fauna and flora mishap burns. A diversity that can not be replaced! Our “green lungs” go up in smoke to make room for the depletion of our earth. Unbelievable that such a thing can happen! Money, greed and ruthlessness rules! All the more important that we take care of our “blue lungs” of the oceans. Therefore, please remember to sign the petition against whaling (see Whale Watching / Marine Conservation) because these large marine mammals play a vital role in our oxygen production.

The afternoon had cleared and the fire in Madeira was luckily cleared. May the Amazon soon be free from the omnivorous flames. We would like to ask you to sign this petition for the protection of the Amazon as well!

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-burning-of-the-amazon-rainforest

We had an enchanting, quiet encounter with the beautiful Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), whose favorite food is squid! Also a few of Atlantic Spotted dolphins found their way to us agin!

And what does the offspring of Pilot whales and Atlantic Spotted dolphins love best of all as a dish of the day (Prato do dia)? Yes, exactly, the mother’s milk. Take a look at our photos!! Daniel was able to take a picture of a suckling Pilot whale baby.

By the way, marine mammals do not get milk teeth! At the beginning, they are even toothless. Only after about five months, the first teeth show up. It is also interesting that toothed whales, to which the dolphins also count, have their teeth not to chew but only to hold the slippery prey.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Atlantic Spotted dolphins

17:00 Pilot whales, Blainville’s Beaked whales

Stenella

12:00 Atlantic Spotted dolphins, Pilot whales

15:30 Atlantic Spotted dolphins, Pilot whales