11.05.2026 – One successful and dry trip

After a short wait for the weather to clear we headed out for our only tour today. Our guest encountered Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) who were really active and travelling alongside Stenella for a wee while. Later we also saw a pod of Short-finned Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) including a calf. 

Long-term studies of Atlantic spotted dolphin in the Bahamas found something remarkable: they don’t just travel alongside Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) groups – some dolphins from the two different species seem to form lasting social bonds with specific individuals.

Researchers repeatedly saw the same spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins seeking each other out over many years. They weren’t simply two pods temporarily swimming together. Some pairs regularly engaged in pectoral-fin rubbing – where dolphins gently stroke each other with their side fins – a behaviour strongly linked to friendship, trust, and bonding in dolphins.

What makes this so unusual is that mammals rarely show this kind of long-term affiliative behaviour with members of another species. It suggests these dolphins may recognise and maintain individual cross-species friendships over time.