11.09.2024 – Peek-a-boo!

Published by Sarah Kather on September 19, 2024

I sometimes feel that the dolphins and whales which we encounter at sea are just as curious about us as we are about them. Recently, we observed a number of times with our resident Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), what scientists would call a “spyhop”. Out of nowhere, an individual lifts a large portion of their heads out of the blue, with its eyes wide open, observing their surroundings. I don’t know what the dolphin might be thinking, but our guests and team on board certainly will react in chorus with a loud “Awwww!”. It’s these kinds of surprises that make our day. Dolphins and whales are aware of us by the sound of the boat’s engine, for many of them it might already be a daily routine to have us around them. But there is always one or the other individual, which is just a little bit more curious than the others. It is often calves or juveniles, who are still learning about their environment. There are also some species which by nature are much more curious than others. For example, during today’s morning tour, we observed the elegant Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), which usually prefer to be amongst themselves and keep their distance to our boats. Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) instead, sometimes dash towards the boats and swim excitedly at the front of the boat, sometimes turning around to take a look while bow riding. Not to forget the masters of curiosity, the Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). They will often leave any activity aside and bounce towards the boats. In one of our afternoon tours, we were lucky to find a group of them feeding many miles offshore. Accompanied by enthusiastic amazement of our guests, one individual leaped many meters out of the ocean. Peeking out of the ocean is one of the theories why whales and dolphins jump. I have seen them leaping with their eyes wide open, but believe that in many cases, it might not be the most practical way to observe their surroundings. Jumping on top of their prey while feeding in order to easier grab the dizzy fish afterwards; getting rid of parasites or unwanted hitchhikers; communication – aggressive or joyful, can be other reasons why whales and dolphins leap. We may never know why they suddenly get as active or curious, or what they think when they see a boat full of excited guests. But for sure, we could play this peek-a-boo game all day long!

By Sarah Kather

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins

14:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

17:00 Bottlenose dolphins