Direct Comparison of SizesIdentification of Whales and Dolphins
On a rocking boat out on the open sea, how is it possible to recognize and distinguish different species of whales and dolphins? - Well, that takes some practice and a trained eye.
First of all, it's useful to know something about cetacean behaviour. Many species are restricted to certain habitats and prefer for example very cold or warm waters. These animals won't be found in the Strait of Gibraltar, which belongs to the temperate waters.
As it is generally known which species can be found in the Strait, we can concentrate on the features of these animals. This although is challenge enough already for untrained eyes - after all the animals are constantly moving and their bodies can only be seen partially.
Let us proceed the way we do on our trips. First we search the surface for irregularities. It's not that easy as often an alleged dolphin comes out to be a wave only. Migrating schools of dolphins are the easiest to make out. The dolphins are jumping out of the water to save energy (due to the lower resistance of air) and thus move faster. Large whales (like sperm or fin whales), however, can be made out by their blow (the air they breathe out at the surface) which looks like a high fountain.
On approaching the whales, we can often name the species already because of their size, colouration and behaviour. Pilot whales for example have a very dark skin, a sickle-shaped dorsal fin and show a far less acrobatic behaviour than the livelier, more colourful dolphins. The pictures on the right show some shapes of fins that help us to identify the animals.
If we want to identify individual animals, depending on the species different features are of importance. For some years now we have been working intensively on our pilot whale project. The important feature of this species is the dorsal fin that is a bit different in every animal. If you want to find out more about it, read about our scientific projects. In dolphins, not only the shape of the dorsal fin but also lines and other markings are significant features for identification. Sperm whales are identified mainly by the shape of their flukes, which are shown at the beginning of a diving sequence. The features of all species found in the Strait of Gibraltar are explained in further detail in our description of the species.