azwhales
In Pico island yesterday we had an amazing sighting of a Northern Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, during our whale watching trip. We immediately identified the species thanks to its white band on the upper flippers, which we could see very well through the water’s surface.
Although Minke Whales are one of the most abundant and widespread rorquals in the Atlantic, we don’t see them so often in the Azores, compared to the other baleen whale species. This animal was incredibly curious with our zodiac boat, bow riding and doing amazing underwater performances as we were slowly navigating along with it.
In the rest of our morning, we got to see the beautiful common dolphins who amaze us every single time with their beauty and curiosity.
Also, male Risso’s dolphins were socializing and frequently jumping outside of the water!
In the meanwhile, we carefully observed one loggerhead turtle who was giving shelter, food and protection to a school of medium-sized fishes.
Today, we went to the sea to swim with the dolphins and found a beautiful numerous pod of common dolphins who made the delight of our guests. It is always an amazing and unforgettable experience to meet these aquatic mammals in their natural habitat, the deep blue Atlantic Ocean!
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| Cory’s shearwaters |
azwhales
Futurismo Biologists Team
Sandrina Rodrigues
