18.09.2025 – Madeira’s Big 5

Today on our trips we could appreciate the beauty of Madeiras Big 5. I speak about some of the most commonly seen species around the island which include Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris). All these species show different behaviours and life history traits. Some like the Pilot whales, Sperm whales and the Beaked whales are deep diving squid loving animals, While Bottlenose dolphins and Spotted dolphins active surface dolphins are.

Apart from these animals some guests had the luck to see one of the rare Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus). This is the rarest species of seal world wide and around Madeira we have 29 to 30 animals.

By Horst Schulte

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-finned pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins

13:00 Sperm whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales, Mediterranean monk seal

Stenella

09:30 Short-finned pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Sperm whale

13:30 Sperm whales, Bottlenose dolphins

16:30 Sperm whales