Fernandina
Today was a "Wow" day, there are no better words to describe it. At 6:30 in the morning we had already encountered bottle-nose dolphins around Roca Redonda. But today's highlight appeared around 8:00 am, when everyone abandoned breakfast to run outside and enjoy the largest pod of pilot whales I have ever seen.
They came to the ship from all sides and spent a good three quarters of an hour with us. When we realized they were going to stay for a while, two of us went to film the creatures underwater. We all wanted to go, but after a debate, Rafael and Antonio took off towards the whales.
But what is a pilot whale?
Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorynchus) are gregarious mammals, usually found in groups whose social structures seem to be highly organized. Pilot whales are known by many names, including "pot-heads", a term which refers to their bulbous, blunt heads, and "blackfish", which reflects their dark appearance. In the eastern Atlantic, they associate with schools of herring. The name "pilot whale" originates on the legend that the whales "piloted" fishermen to their catch. Another presumption is that "pilot whales" often have a leader or pilot at the head of their pod.
Short finned pilot whales are distributed in tropical and temperate regions. Today we saw them in the cool western area of the Galapagos.
Today was a "Wow" day, there are no better words to describe it. At 6:30 in the morning we had already encountered bottle-nose dolphins around Roca Redonda. But today's highlight appeared around 8:00 am, when everyone abandoned breakfast to run outside and enjoy the largest pod of pilot whales I have ever seen.
They came to the ship from all sides and spent a good three quarters of an hour with us. When we realized they were going to stay for a while, two of us went to film the creatures underwater. We all wanted to go, but after a debate, Rafael and Antonio took off towards the whales.
But what is a pilot whale?
Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorynchus) are gregarious mammals, usually found in groups whose social structures seem to be highly organized. Pilot whales are known by many names, including "pot-heads", a term which refers to their bulbous, blunt heads, and "blackfish", which reflects their dark appearance. In the eastern Atlantic, they associate with schools of herring. The name "pilot whale" originates on the legend that the whales "piloted" fishermen to their catch. Another presumption is that "pilot whales" often have a leader or pilot at the head of their pod.
Short finned pilot whales are distributed in tropical and temperate regions. Today we saw them in the cool western area of the Galapagos.
