Dolphins! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 21 May
Written by May 21 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 21 May 2022:
Not long after leaving the harbour today, we were fortunate to come across a pod of beautiful Bottlenose Dolphins which cruised by the boat for some time. We then continued along the coastline and spotted a pair of endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins! After enjoying the dolphins we headed to the shark cage diving boats where we saw both Bronze Whaler sharks and a Short-tail Stingray. We then headed out into deeper waters where we observed several different bird species such as White-chinned Petrels, Cape Gannets and various Terns. Following this, we ventured to Shark Alley where we were thoroughly entertained by our 60,000 strong Cape Fur seal colony on Geyser Rock. When circling back to Dyer Island we spotted numerous endangered African Penguins and then made our way back to the harbour.
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What species did we see today?
Bronze Whaler Shark Bronze Whaler Shark
The Bronze whaler (also known as Copper sharks) here in Kleinbaai are very curious and interactive. These sharks eat mostly fish, with sardines being one of their favourites.
Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
Humpback dolphins are an endangered species, with small populations living very close to shore, typically in water less than 25m deep and an average home range of 120km. Their proximity to land makes these animals particularly vulnerable to human influence.
Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
At present there are two recognized species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. The two species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus). In addition, there is a great deal of variation in colouration, diet and behaviour. The difference between the common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin are subtle, but the common bottlenose dolphin generally larger and more robust with a slight darker colouration.
African Penguin African Penguin
As one of only 17 penguin species left in the world (and the only one on the african continent), the african penguin often breed in offshore colonies, such as Dyer Island.
