18.01.2023 – Three in one

Both our boats left Calheta marina for our midday tour to find animals on a rather choppy ocean today. Conditions didn’t make things easy for our spotter but he still managed to locate a group of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that were surfacing in the same area. Such mixed sightings aren’t a rarity here in Madeira, especially when it comes to these two particular toothed whales. Although frequent, understanding the implications of such associations is challenging and already becomes tricky when describing the very nature of the sighting. Is there a common resource or are social reasons drawing the animals together or is it purely coincidental?

Whatever the case, another cetacean soon arrived to join the party. A large baleen whale suddenly appeared in the vicinity of the two dolphin species. Its brief presence at the surface between dives made identification difficult at sea but a closer look at our photos left us assuming it was a Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). The animals all remained in this area for a significant amount of time. Perhaps to hunt the same prey and gain hunting advantages from one another? We cannot know, cetaceans never fail to bewilder and surprise us.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

13:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Fin whale, Short-finned pilot whales

Stenella

13:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Fin whale, Short-finned pilot whales