17.10.2020 – With brains

If you are in the middle of the Atlantic, you can feel the power of the weather from time to time. But today we were lucky to be able to drive into the blue office with our guests before the announced storm.

The group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) moved calmly to the east. We were allowed to accompany them for a while. It is interesting that Bottlenose dolphins, next to monkeys, elephants and humans, are among the most intelligent creatures on our planet.

The cuddly Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were very, very relaxed. Maybe they enjoyed the calm before the storm?

The situation was absolutely impressive when mother and calf sank down, hanging in the big blue with a head stand. Slowly they floated with current under our boat. It was almost as if they were using the tail like a sail.

We were also able to experience “spyhops” right next to the boat. In a spyhop, the marine mammal lifts its head out of the water. The largest of the toothed whales has, of course, a very large head. Two thirds of the body of a Sperm whale is dedicated to the head. So it is not surprising that the brain with its 9.5 kg is the heaviest in the animal and human kingdom. But the spermaceti organ and the junk melon take up the majority of the headspace.

By the way, if you look very closely, you will discover that our whales had lice! Wall lice (Cyamidae)! What is very interesting is the fact that the whale-lice appear in Sperm whales in a gender-specific manner. While the whale louse Cyamus catodontis can be found on the skin of male Sperm whales, the whale louse Neocyamus physeteris only feels comfortable on females and young animals.

It was definitely a wonderful experience at sea.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales

Stenella

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales