Naturalist Science & Tourism

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 | 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 – 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝐨𝐟 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿🐬

Spotting a S***m whale often begins long before we see the animal itself - it starts with its breath.

Unlike other larges whales that produce a straight, tall spout, the S***m whale has a bushy blow angled at a distinct 45 degrees to the left. This happens because their single active blowhole is located asymmetrically on the front left side of their massive head.

For our team at sea and our vigias on land, this evolutionary quirk is the perfect field mark. It tells us instantly that a giant is resting and reoxygenating at the surface before its next deep dive into the abyss.

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 | 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 – 𝟯𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝐨𝐟 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

A moment of tranquility at the surface!

Before another long journey into the ocean´s depths, S***m whales take the time to rest and catch their breath under the Azorean sun.

It is always a privilege to share these brief moments of calm with the giants of our sea.

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 | 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 – 𝟯𝟬𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

Our boat expedicion gave us the chance to spot our resident S***m whales and Atlantic spotted dolphins, which coexist so harmoniously in the same ocean!

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 | 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 – 𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

Cory’s shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) return to the Azores during their breeding season, where they forage at sea during the day.

They often target similar prey to dolphins, so large flocks can sometimes be a useful clue when searching for feeding dolphins. 🐦🐬

We also encountered S***m whales, which feed much deeper in the ocean and target different prey, highlighting the different feeding strategies within the same ecosystem. 🌊

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 | 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 – 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

Atlantic spotted dolphins are highly acrobatic dolphins, with a perfectly synchronised swimming motion between the whole pod. Them still enjoying the Azorean waters is wonderful ! We still see their calves being born during this time of the year. Growing leaping and bonding with the pod.

Navigating today we saw S***m whales, Bottlenose dolphins, and our seasonal friends, the Atlantic spotted dolphins

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 | 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 – 𝟮𝟱𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

The diversity of our ocean!

One moment we have the calm, matriarchal social complexity of Pilot whales. Despite being called Pilot whale, they are actually oceanic dolphins, the second largest in the 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒆 family, right after the Killer whale.

The next moment, we have the fast-paced, energy of Common dolphins. Two species with completely different group dynamics sharing the same oceanic waters.

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝟮𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

Teamwork! 🐋 Did you know that female S***m whale practice "babysitting"? Since calves can´t hold their breath long enough to dive to the extreme depths where adults hunt squid, other females in the pod take turns to protecting and caring for the calf near the surface while the mother feeds. A true matriarchal society. 💙

Summer is the perfect time to encounter the resident family groups of S***m whales
and Atlanctic spotted dolphin!🐋🐬

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 –𝟮𝟯𝐫𝐝 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

Our ocean expeditions granted us sightings of our resident S***m Whales!

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 –𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

On this day, we encountered a group of Short-finned Pilot Whales (𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴). Although they are commonly observed in the Azores during the summer, another closely related species can also be found in the region, the Long-finned Pilot Whale (𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘴)

The pectoral fins are particularly useful, their shape and relative length differ between the two species, as reflected in the names. However, they are difficult to see from the boat unless a whale turns onto its side, revealing its flippers, as seen in the first photo (zoom in). When this doesn't happen, we rely on the saddle patch, which tends to be more noticeable in Short-finned Pilot Whales.

Identifying pilot whales in the open ocean is an example of how small morphological differences can be crucial for species identification.

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

🐋𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 –𝟮𝟬𝐭𝐡 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁🐬

On today´s expedition we encountered several species of cetaceans in transit. A Bryde´s whale was observed, this species is usually seen around the Azores in summer, when temperature of the sea increases. A group of around 100 Atlantic spotted dolphins and 60 Common dolphins have been seen jumping out of the water whilst in transit. We also observed S***m whales foraging, and a mother and calf together at the surface.

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!