Bottlenose dolphins! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog
Written by November 30 2021
One of today’s highlight were the bottlenose dolphins we encountered at the beginning of our Marine Big 5 tour. It was a fairly loose group of around 20 dolphins, with some coming closer to the boat before they went on. We also continued with our tour and spotted some penguins close to the coast and sharks at the shark cage diving boat. After a visit to Pearly Beach, we stopped at Dyer Island to see more penguins and other seabirds. Another highlight was also cruising through Shark Alley, we have plenty of seal pups already on Geyser Rock.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
Cape fur seal Cape fur seal
With a local population of 60,000, it's no wonder our guests capture so many photographs of these wonderfully playful marine mammals.
