16.08.2018 – Little pilot

At the beginning of the summer sightings of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) were surprisingly scarce. In the last days, however, we’ve experienced quite the opposite situation. After a week of lovely sightings with this species we also had the pleasure of enjoying their company today and also had encounters that included Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and a curious little basking Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).

We met a small, compact clan of pilot whales on our morning and afternoon trips today and these sightings were quite eventful. In the afternoon the group was even accompanied by a handful of Bottlenose dolphins, carefully swimming alongside the larger animals and their calves. Photo material from whale watching companies like Lobosonda have facilitated the extensive research and monitoring of these two species around Madeira and have led to the creation of ID-catalogues used to identify individual animals. While the Bottlenose community is fairly fluid in structure, certain clans of Short-finned pilot whales have displayed a certain site fidelity to the waters around the island with specific individuals even returning on an annual basis along with some fellow herd members.

A guest asked me today why Pilot whales are actually called Pilot whales. The name was given due to the fact that the herds were believed to be piloted by a leading animal and the matriarchal nature of this species implies that this individual must be a female. The herds frequenting Madeira often include young calves and today we had an especially tiny one (probably a newborn) amongst the observed group. These younger animals are usually guarded by a large bull who ensures that the little guy is sufficiently protected within the pod. This calf was a positive contrast to the deceased calf that is still being carried by its grieving mother since over a week. This sad situation was also witnessed today during a sighting with another group of Pilot whales onboard the Stenella and the Ribeira Brava in the afternoon.

A playful young calf also helped brighten up our day in the light of this unfortunate circumstance as it curiously approached our traditional boat and repeatedly barrel-rolled at the oceans surface. This playful behavior isn’t rare amongst young calves making these encounters especially uplifting. We look forward to seeing these clans again in the next weeks and, hopefully, in the next years.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-finned pilot whales

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales

Stenella

09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Striped dolphins

15:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Striped dolphins, Loggerhead turtle

18:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales