Page 252 - The Virgin Islands

Dolphins and Whales

W Hild Dolphins - These encounters can last 5 minutes, or 5 umpback Whales - The humpback whale is a species of baleen
hours; it is up to the dolphins. You are in their world, on their whale. Adults range in length from 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) and

terms. These dolphins have never been captive or fed. They are with weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The humpback

you because they want to be. They have become accustomed to hu- has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and

mans cruising these beautiful waters and over the years. The num- a knobby head. An acrobatic animal known for breaching and slap-

bers of dolphins can range from 2 to 50, you really never know. One ping the water with its tail and pectorals, it is popular with whale

thing is for sure; each interaction is different and special in its own watchers off the coasts of Australasia and the Americas. Males pro-

way. It is an amazing feeling to “connect” with a dolphin, eye to eye. duce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for

Many times there will be bottlenose dolphins mixed in with a pod of hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role

spotted dolphins. During your encounter you may see the dolphins in mating. Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback

feeding in the sand on razor wrasse and small flounders or chasing whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometers (16,000 mi) each

flying fish on the surface. You will see them interacting with each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate

other as they are very family oriented and have very strong bonds to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth in the win-

within the pod. They rarely swim without touching one another ter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves.

with their pectoral fins. Touching is a very important form of com- Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have

munication among dolphins, young and old. It is their way of reaf- a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net

firming their connections and love. feeding technique. Like other large whales, the humpback was and

is a target for the whaling industry. Once hunted to the brink of ex-

tinction, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a moratori-

um was introduced in 1966. While stocks have since partially recov-

ered, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise

pollution continue to impact the 80,000 humpbacks worldwide.