29.10.2026 – For the love of interaction
November 4, 2026
Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) seem to be present in numbers these days ! They are sometimes seen interacting with another species : bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), which was the case today. We saw different groups of pilot whales during our trips. Scientists study them around Madeira and they found out that there is one population containing multiple clans. Around 150 regular individuals are present around the island, scaling up to around 300 total whales when short-term summer and autumn visitors are included. There is potentially three clans composed of island-associated individuals and other clans with transients whales. Each clan comprises a few matrilineal pods, with an average group size of around 15 individuals, led by older females. The matrilineal groups are tigh-knit units and share distinct social bonds and behaviors. Within the matrilineal pods, offsprings of both sexes remain in their mother’s family their whole life, with even mature males rarely leaving the group. Larger gatherings can be observed at time where different pods meet, for socializing, foraging, or mating purposes.
Research over the world showed that each clan have a distinctive dialect, vocal traditions are passed down from mothers to calves, like sperm whales and orcas. Each pod will use unique whistles from another pod even if they share the same geographic waters. Because males stay with their mothers and sisters, they do not mate within their own pod, avoiding inbreeding. Instead, they mate when different pods or clans temporarily aggregate into massive groups of hundreds of whales.
By Juliette Colançon
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Bottlenose dolphin, Short-finned pilot whale
13:00 Bottlenose dolphin, Short-finned pilot whale
Steno
09:30 Bottlenose dolphin, Short-finned pilot whale
13:30 Bottlenose dolphin, Short-finned pilot whale
16:00 Bottlenose dolphin, Short-finned pilot whale
