Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are the second largest animals on the planet after Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and they can reach around 25 meters in length. Here we portrait the big “mama” encountered today with her calf as she emerged next to Terra Azul boat. A never ending profile that hides a massive animal underneath the water surface!!! Her fin is well marked and hopefully we will be able to add this individual to the MONICET catalogue.
What a crazy adventure, I always enjoy when our guests can come on our boats and experience how lucky we truly are in Azores.
There is a few places in the world where you can see different species of cetaceans at the same time. Of course, not every day is the same but when it happens, it turns our daily adventure in a quite a special one.
Today started out when we first saw Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis), a few calves and adults. Seeing them underwater is always a reminder of how beautiful their coloration is and how amazing it is to observe them.
A mile further away, we had a short encounter with one of the most rarely seen cetaceans: Beaked Whales. We identified them as Blainville’s Beaked Whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) but it is always complicated to be 100% sure as they are extremely elusive and their family includes several species (21 worldwide, of which 6 are sighted here in the Azores). Click here to see our previous post about these amazing creatures!
Suddenly our land spotter called us on the radio to let us know that they were several Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) around and we managed to find five, of which two mother-calf pairs. It seems that the baleen whales have finally arrived to São Miguel!!!
Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) lateral body view. The asymmetric coloration of the head is a key feature to recognize this baleen whale species. Source: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals IIIrd Ed. Bernd Würsig, I. G. M. Thewissen & KIT M. Kovacs Editors.
We ended this amazing day spending some time with a big group of socializing Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that was extremely active at the surface and included several calves.
What a lucky adventure!!!
