11.04.2019 – Otto and company

Our Stenella sped off on to a placid ocean this afternoon to meet a delightful group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with an equally delightful pleasant group of guests. As the dolphins leapt along side our speedboat one juvenile animal quickly became everyones favorite as he playfully spun along the waves at our bow. Our guests immediately took the liberty of naming the individual Otto.

The frequent sightings of several specific individuals has lead to the efficient documentation of this interactive species by mean of photo-identification by local scientists on the archipelago. Photos of the dorsal fins along with other long-term features allowed scientists to create a catalogue of several individuals using photos made by local Whale-Watching companies like Lobosonda to study the residential pattern of the animals. Otto is still quite young and has a rather unmarked fin but is likely to be included in this catalogue in future.

Otto was swimming within a subgroup of animals, a collection of individuals with whom he has probably established a friendship of sorts. These friendships are quite common amongst dolphins, particularly Bottlenose dolphins, and form an important part of their social life determining what they learn and from whom. Dolphins begin establishing such friendships after leaving their mothers side, which usually occurs after a sibling is born. This raised an interesting question amongst our guests; can dolphins have twins? The calving interval for Bottlenose dolphins is 3-5 years and, occasionally, a mother can give birth to two calves. The next interesting question is how inseparable these two calves are but, like with human beings, we can assume that it is a question of character.

One can only wonder whether Otto had a twin sibling swimming somewhere close by and whether the two of them will spend the larger portion of their lives in the same school. It simply never gets boring with dolphins and we have so much to learn.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Striped dolphins

Stenella

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins