Let’s talk a little bit more about the family of Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus) that has been seen just miles out of our beloved Vila Franca do Campo.

This family is comprised of two females with two calves and other adult females.

So let me paint you the picture and story tale a little about yesterday’s tour that starts with the two females nursing the babies and slowly after diving into the depths of the abyss.

The babies remained at the surface unable to follow their family and had to remain at the surface, our boat noticed a group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) passing us by. So we were not focused on the babies since we do not want to stress them and always allow them to follow their families in peace. We were focused only on the dolphins that had just passed our boat.

Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

 

One of the babies was at the horizon and we notice the Bottlenose dolphins swimming rapidly towards it, the defenseless baby was swimming away and out of nowhere the adults emerged protecting the baby, WOOOW it was a magnificent picture seeing how dedicate the pod of females was is in protecting their members.

 

photo of a baby Sperm Whale from our catalogue

 

Bottlenose dolphins you may ask? Are you sure?… The answer is yes, Bottlenose bother baby Sperm whales, they can display various kinds of behaviours and can be quite territorial.

Bottlenose Dolphin tail slapping a sign of aggression in many cases.

 

So after seeing this scene and how it unraveled we continued our navigation into another site and found a huge group of Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) that was socializing, they were displaying jumps and being very active underwater, we could even see how they would crump all together under the waves.

Risso’s dolphins underwater

 

Another majestic scene.

We are very fond on following the life of the two baby Sperm whales and their family, stay tuned to hear more about how these animals are gonna grow and their life will unfold in the Atlantic waters.

We are having so much fun narrating the stories of our beloved resident species.

 

Anaïs Builly

About Anaïs Builly

Anais Builly is Marine Biologist and Master of Biology, Ecology and Ecosystems, and of Bioproducts & Bioproduction of Marine Ecosystems, studied in France and South Africa. She is also Marine Wildlife Guide & Community Manager at TERRA AZUL. She is passionate about conservation of marine mammals, and loves being out in the ocean everyday.

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