02.11.2016 – Preciosities

Also today we had Pilot whales. This time we observed lots of young animals and mothers with calves. These tiny whales, still so delicate, so new in this world, were very playful this morning. A few times we saw a calf turning to its back. Due Pilot whales do not have a distinct beak it looks like a little kiss mouth.

Pilot whales get every three to four years one calf and their gestation period is sixteen months. Not every calf survives in this challenging environment. Meanwhile there are a few observations about Pilot whales but also other dolphin species were females were holding her dead calves for days on the water surface. Partial they were escorted by other adult animals. One speaks here of mourning behavior and social culture. Just recently there was a special incident reported in the Canary Islands. A female brought her dead calf to a whale watching boat and lifted it in front of the boat out of the water. Surely this was a very touching occasion. Due to the fact Pilot whales do not have a high quantity of offspring it is of great importance to protect these little kiss mouth whales, these preciosities.

Ribeira Brava

10.00: Pilot whales

Stenella

10.00: Pilot whales