01.07.2024 – First day of the new month

A gentle morning sea tour with Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) took place on the first day of the new month.

One of the outstanding features of the Blaineville’s beaked whale is the peculiarity of the lower jaw, which extends upwards towards the back. Males have a tusk on each side. Blaineville’s beaked whales are found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters.

They prefer deeper offshore areas, often near continental slopes and submarine canyons, where they search for their prey at depths of up to 1,000 metres. As the coastline off Madeira is rapidly sloping, we do not need to travel far out to encounter them.The diet of these whales consists mainly of deep-sea squid, supplemented by fish and crustaceans. They play an important role in the marine ecosystem by helping to control the populations of these deep-sea species.

At lunchtime on the way to the Short- finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), we happened to encounter bottlenose dolphins. Both encounters were very relaxed.

Here you will find our Petitions to protect Pilot whales and other species. 

https://www.lobosonda.com/marine-protection/

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Blainville’s beaked whales, Bottlenose dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales

Stenella

09:30 Blainville’s beaked whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins

14:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales

16:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales, Striped dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins