Who's watching who?

Humans watch dolphins...do dolphins watch humans? Mysterious relationship. Dolphins act like magnets of humans attention. History reports a long time connection between these two worlds. They save people from shark attacks, from drowning...mythology refers humans becoming dolphins, dolphins becoming humans. And much more. You know, you feel it too. Do dolphins share the same kind of special attention for humankind? I believe they are only curious but the mysticism remains. Much more points of view should be taken in consideration. Try "All animals are equal but some are cetaceans" by Neils Einarsson or "Revisiting the tragedy of the commons: ecological dilemmas of whalewatching in Azores" by Katja Neves-Graça. Last week sightings: common dolphins of course, bottlenose and porpoises.

Shearwaters come and go

Yesterday we had an encounter with the great shearwater (Puffinus gravis). Only one individual but made me very happy! It was my first sighting of this species here in Lagos. This seabird made a remarkable migration from the southern hemisphere and usually stays in our waters for short periods of time. Just like seasons, it has been a pleasure to witness their arrival and departure. How did we spot this seabird? It was right above the common dolphins we had all day. And Spanish was the official language! More about the great shearwater here.

Maternal bond

Exciting shark sighting today! No worries, sharks don't eat people. People eat sharks. Also 3 shy porpoises, at the famous "porpoise area", maybe more. You never know...For our regular friends, the common dolphins, it's still nursing time. Since the begging of July we have been noticing the presence of babies, always close to the mother. Believe it or not, dolphins can stay with the mother for 8 years, depending on the species. The fetal folds we saw today indicate that this baby was born recently. Have you ever seen a baby dolphin?