Page 262 - French Polynesia
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Dolphins and Whales
W ild Dolphins - These encounters can last 5 minutes, or 5 back has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral
hours; it is up to the dolphins. You are in their world, on fins and a knobby head. An acrobatic animal known for breaching
their terms. These dolphins have never been captive or fed. They and slapping the water with its tail and pectorals, it is popular
are with you because they want to be. They have become accus- with whale watchers off the coasts of Australasia and the Ameri-
tomed to humans cruising these beautiful waters and over the cas. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which
years. The numbers of dolphins can range from 2 to 50, you really they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it
never know. One thing is for sure; each interaction is different and may have a role in mating. Found in oceans and seas around the
special in its own way. It is an amazing feeling to “connect” with a world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometers
dolphin, eye to eye. Many times there will be bottlenose dolphins (16,000 mi) each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar
mixed in with a pod of spotted dolphins. During your encounter waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and
you may see the dolphins feeding in the sand on razor wrasse and give birth in the winter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and
small flounders or chasing flying fish on the surface. You will see live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and
them interacting with each other as they are very family oriented small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding meth-
and have very strong bonds within the pod. They rarely swim ods, including the bubble net feeding technique. Like other large
without touching one another with their pectoral fins. Touching is whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry.
a very important form of communication among dolphins, young Once hunted to the brink of extinction, its population fell by an
and old. It is their way of reaffirming their connections and love. estimated 90% before a moratorium was introduced in 1966. While
stocks have since partially recovered, entanglement in fishing
H umpback Whales - The humpback whale is a species of baleen gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to impact
whale. Adults range in length from 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) the 80,000 humpbacks worldwide.
and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The hump-
