22.12.2020 – A better place
January 2, 2021
29.12.2020 – Gasolina
January 6, 2021
Today was brisk. Short-beaked Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were busy with their breakfast. They came out of the water at high speed in their classic way to hunt. Where was completely unpredictable, to the chagrin of the photographers on board. It was nice anyway.
The second sighting of the morning, the Short-finned Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) were also on the move quickly. However, they seemed to be on a mission and were moving rapidly south-east.
Both species are part of the dolphin family, but they have different feeding preferences. Pilot whales need around 50kg of food a day, which mainly consists of squid, but can also contain fish. A large amount of food, but no wonder, as a fully grown Pilot whale weighs 800-1000kg. Common dolphins prefer fish (sardines, mackerel, garfish, etc.), but they also eat squid. Their daily food requirement is likely to be 5-7kg.
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Short-beaked common dolphin, Pilot whale
Stenella
10:00 Short-beaked common dolphin, Pilot whale
15:00 Short-beaked common dolphin, Pilot whale
