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Dolphins and Whales
D olphins - These encounters can last 5 minutes, or 5 hours; it back has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral
is up to the dolphins. You are in their world, on their terms. fins and a knobby head. An acrobatic animal known for breaching
These dolphins have never been captive or fed. They are with you and slapping the water with its tail and pectorals, it is popular
because they want to be. They have become accustomed to hu- with whale watchers off the coasts of Australasia and the Ameri-
mans cruising these beautiful waters and over the years. The num- cas. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which
bers of dolphins can range from 2 to 50, you really never know. they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it
One thing is for sure; each interaction is different and special in its may have a role in mating. Found in oceans and seas around the
own way. It is an amazing feeling to “connect” with a dolphin, eye world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometers
to eye. Many times there will be bottlenose dolphins mixed in with (16,000 mi) each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar
a pod of spotted dolphins. During your encounter you may see the waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and
dolphins feeding in the sand on razor wrasse and small flounders give birth in the winter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and
or chasing flying fish on the surface. You will see them interact- live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and
ing with each other as they are very family oriented and have very small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding meth-
strong bonds within the pod. They rarely swim without touching ods, including the bubble net feeding technique. Like other large
one another with their pectoral fins. Touching is a very important whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry.
form of communication among dolphins, young and old. It is their Once hunted to the brink of extinction, its population fell by an
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-
