Living things are what make the world go round. Well, perhaps it is love as well, but here at Jervis Bay Wild, we like to combine the two. We have deep love for living things, particularly our amazing local wildlife.
If you’ve come with us on one of our eco tours (or if you’re planning to), you’ll know that there is an abundance of wild marine life and bird life populating our seas. On excursions such as our dolphin eco cruise, you may be lucky enough to spot sea turtles, sharks, vibrantly-hued tropical fish, sea birds of all species, and of course, our resident bottlenose dolphins.
While numbers differ slightly, we typically have a pod of dolphins in Jervis Bay numbering in the 70s or greater. The bottlenose dolphin is a highly recognisable species, known for its long snout and distinctive “smile.” Friendly and active, our tours often see dolphins swimming and jumping right alongside the bow of our vessel.
Bottlenose dolphins may have gotten most of the fame, in part thanks to the television show “Flipper,” but did you know there are actually 43 different dolphin species across the globe? Today, we wanted to highlight just a few of the unique and incredible dolphins around the world.
Pink Amazon River Dolphin
There are only 5 species of river dolphins on the planet, and the pink amazon river dolphin, sometimes called the boto, is undoubtedly the cutest. This species is also said to be the smartest of all river dolphins, boasting a brain capacity 40% larger than a human’s! Although this dolphin is labelled as pink, their colours actually change throughout their life cycle. A flexible neck gives the pink dolphin an advantage against prey. Their long beaks also contain stiff hairs which help them detect danger within the muddy rivers. This species is found in South America, stretching from the Andes Mountains to the Amazon River delta.
Spinner Dolphin
If you want to be impressed, check out a spinner dolphin in action. Spinner dolphins live in oceans all across the world, and are typically seen in the open areas of tropical waters. Residing in large pods of sometimes hundreds of fellow dolphins, spinners are highly social. They live largely on a diet of squid as adept swimmers who can plunge the depths. But their distinctive feature is their unbelievable talent for jumping and spinning through the air. Plunging out of the water at high speeds, the spinner dolphin is able to twist its flexible body sometimes numerous times, almost like a spinning top. This acrobatic feat has to be seen to be believed.
Hector’s Dolphin
The Hector’s dolphin is one of the rarest dolphin species, with only an estimated 7,400 in existence. This species is found only off the New Zealand coast, where it travels in small, tightly-knit pods. Researchers are still learning more about the Hector’s dolphin, which behaves in many ways like other dolphin species but lacks a beak and has a smaller, stockier body shape. These 3-4 foot long dolphins swim slower than other species and tend to stay near to the shoreline, where they subsist on squid and fish.
Nothing beats checking out wildlife in their natural habitat, and especially dolphins. While you are in Jervis Bay, don’t miss the beautiful and intelligent bottlenose dolphins who make their home on our coast. On our eco cruise, you’ll have tremendous views of these creatures as they swim, play, race, and simply enjoy the life of a dolphin.
