02.11.2021 – A very legitimate question!

In the morning, we were allowed to accompany a group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) for a while. The dolphins did not get into the bow wave of the boat, but the kids on board were happy about every appearance. There was also an interesting question. “How do you know which marine mammals we see?”, asked a young guest. A very legitimate question! Determining the species is not always that easy. In order to know which whale or dolphin species we have in front of us, we use a few specific characteristics. The size of the animal; the coloring and drawing of the body, the shape and location of the dorsal fin; Head shape, beak length and behavior on the surface are used, among other things, for identification. There is also the process of elimination. Certain species will simply not occur off Madeira’s coast, such as a beluga, because our water temperatures are definitely too warm for it. The area also specifies the possibilities of marine mammal species.

The Blainville beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) that we patiently waited for were unfortunately not seen.

In the afternoon we drove to the end of our small island, to Ponta do Pargo, but unfortunately without success.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins

14:30 no sighting