18.09.2024 – Little Brother

Once upon a time, some 8 million years ago, there lived a giant. Not a human one, no. He didn’t carry the world on his shoulders, live on top of a beanstalk, or sell sweetcorn. No, this giant lived in the sea. He lived world-wide but was happiest in the coastal waters of South America. Where with teeth as big as a diver’s flipper (the largest ever seen), he preyed on seals, squid, and even large whales! This is already strange, but it gets stranger considering this giant was a whale himself! Some may now think I’m talking about Orca (Orcinus orca), the largest of the dolphins and a species quite capable of hunting a juvenile humpback (Megaptera novelangliae), but no, when I say this whale ate whales, I don’t mean it ate the young; I mean it ate the adults. Imagine that eating 20 plus-meter fin whales (Balenoptera physalus) for breakfast. It even shared the water and potentially competed with another famous giant of the sea, the “megladon” (Otodus megaladon). Our giant has a biblically inspired name, “the Livyatan” (Livyatan melvillei), to match its biblical reputation. For those feeling a little less sure about going swimming now, dont worry, both Livyatan and the Meg left this earth in the Pleistocene (some 5 million years ago); in fact, there is a theory that their demise allowed whales to put on the huge size they have today. For the rest, who may be sad at no longer being able to come face-to-face with Livyatan anytime soon, rest assured that Livyatan has a little brother who is still alive and was encouted on our 09:30, 13:30, and 14:00 tours. Namely, the Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus).

By Peter Worth

Sightings of the Day

Stenella

09:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, Sperm Whale

14:00 Sperm whales

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose Dolphins, Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, Sperm Whale

13:30 Sperm whales