Researchers from the Lüderitz Marine Research in Namibia were treated to an amazing sight on Sunday, October 4 when a pod of Heaviside’s dolphins put on an acrobatic show.
The crew were near Dias Point around lunchtime on Sunday after looking for Bottlenose dolphins in Luderitz, Nambia as they had received tip-offs that they had been sighted in the area. Suddenly, a pod of Heaviside’s dolphin’s appeared and greeted the team with a memorable performance.
‘Despite the wind reaching unpleasant strength, the dolphins were in a great mood and the show was full of backflips, up-ended jumps, cork-screw aerial manoeuvers etc… A great spectacle indeed,’ Lüderitz Marine Research writes on Facebook.
‘Due to the unpleasant weather the full show could not be recorded photographically as it deserved… But these few shots might give you an idea of what you have missed!’
Heaviside’s dolphins are also known as Haviside’s dolphins, South African dolphins or Benguela dolphins. They only live in cold temperate seas of the Southern Hemisphere, off the coasts of western South Africa, Namibia and southern Angola. They have striking black, grey and white markings so they are often mistaken for baby orcas. They tend to hang in groups of less than 10, but mostly in groups of twos or threes.
They were originally discovered off the South African coast by Captain Haviside, but a case of mistaken identity resulted in this dolphin being named after another captain, Mr John Heaviside instead.
Heaviside’s dolphins tend to not migrate, but rather move based on the patterns of their favoured prey, hake. They are also very active and social creatures. These playful aquatic mammals love to jump vertically clear of the water, turn in the air and fall back into the sea with virtually no splashing or noise.
Pictures: Lüderitz Marine Research
