03.06.2024 – Out of the blue
June 10, 2024
05.06.2024 – Come again?
June 12, 2024
How do you know a sighting is really special? Well, we’ll say all sightings are special and unique, of course. Having said that, you’ll know you’re looking at something rare if the following categories are true: Firstly, the guides are taking crazy numbers of photos of the animals. Unfortunately, the guides seem stumped as to how to find words or facts about the organism other than “it’s very, very cool.” . Thirdly, the guides pull out their personal cellphones to grab a sneak peek at the animal, and finally, we physically collect some of the organisms to hand on to the university.
Don’t forget that sometimes the things that amaze the guides most are not just cetaceans; indeed, today it was an octopus. a female blanket octopus (Tremoctopus violaceus), to be exact. These invertebrates live in the open pelagic ocean, and when threatened, the females extend their arms to reveal a thin membrane between their arms. This webbing “cape” is part sacrifice and can be left behind when pursued by predators. It was in this delicate, colorful, and beautiful film that we found a group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) playing today. The female itself was nearby, around the size of a football, still alive and steadily swimming away. We were sure that it was female, as the males are in fact tiny (maximum 3 cm compared to the females 2 metres) and do not produce the beautiful cape. Instead, to protect themselves, males have been recorded tearing off and carrying the dangerous tentacles of Portuguese Men o’ War (Physalia physalis) to defend themselves! The ocean is a mind-blowing place!
by Peter Worth
Sightings of the Day
Click on each sighting to access the photo gallery of the correspondent trip
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Bottlenose Dolphin, Short-finned Pilot Whale, Blanket Octopus, Portuguese Man O’ War
Stenella
09:30 Blanket Octopus, Bottlenose Dolphin, Maderian Storm Petrel, Short Finned Pilot Whale
13:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-Finned Pilot Whale
