Futurismo Biologists TeamAnd the month of October is already over. It was a very unusual month when it comes to weather conditions, with a lot of swell and wind, making it only possible to go out on 18 days of the month.
Still it was possible to find our 4 resident species. Our shy Risso’s dolphins were spotted in 2 trips and in one of them we still managed to swim with them!
Usually the most seen dolphin species is always the common dolphin (11 days sighted), but this month the species most found during our trips were bottlenose dolphins (15 days sighted).
As for our resident giants, the sperm whales, they were sighted 8 days, and still with their calves, proving that females form nursing groups and stay in our waters throughout the year!
Although it was a cold month, with a predominantly north wind, the truth is that the sea water is still relatively warm! Since the Azores are influenced by the Gulf of Mexico current, the water is still about 23 Celsius degrees, resulting in the presence of Atlantic spotted dolphins. We managed to find this species in 6 different days, but in a short time, they will move south where the water is warm during the winter.
The surprise of the month goes to the sighting of a migratory species of baleen whale: the fin whale, the second biggest animal in the world! We managed to observe this species on 2 different days! These species tend to pass through the Azorean waters during the spring, while their migration route, these sightings were the proof that we never know what we can find during a whale watching trip! What surprises will November bring to our customers?
Futurismo Biologists Team
Sandrina Rodrigues
