Otoque & Bona Archipelago, Panama
The plan for the day was to cruise around the Island of Otoque and Bona on a quest for brown boobies, blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans and magnificent frigate birds. This was to be an expedition where we would learn about the natural history of these pelagic birds that have these islands as a very important nesting site. This was primarily a bird watching trip. Suddenly in the distance, Henry, our Zodiac driver spotted what he thought were some dolphins. As I checked with my binoculars, the pseudo dolphins were just too big, so big that they were actually false killer whales.
Via radio we called the other Zodiacs to get to the place as soon as possible so they too could enjoy the show that a group of at least 20 whales were performing for us. They were so close to the Zodiac that we could almost touch them. They were performing all kinds of acrobatic treats. Why do they do that? Cetaceans, primates and humans are the very few mammals that do things for fun, just for pure and simple pleasure. So you can tell how much they like it when people clap, laugh and splash the water because they answer with more activity.
Why are they named false killer whales? Their scientific name is Pseudorca crassidens, pseudo from false, crassi from dense or thick and dens from teeth. But their name refers to their behavior when feeding. They will chase and feed on dolphins, large yellow fin tunas and even blue whales and because they travel in groups, it is easier to hunt. They can reach a length of 20 feet and live up to 63 years. Their range is mainly tropical and subtropical waters.
You can tell when something is really amazing when people only speak monologues like, “uhh, ahh, ohhh, you saw, wow…” It was just too much; the group remained around the Zodiacs for at least 20 minutes and after that they started cruising away from us, and we went back to look for the boobies, pelicans and frigates. Don’t you like this kind of birdwatching?
After such an encounter we were back on board the Sea Voyager, lifted anchor and started our 180 nautical miles cruise to our next destination. Along the way we saw more cetaceans; this time they were Pantropical spotted dolphins, while we were birdwatching on deck. Again, I love this kind of birdwatching.
The plan for the day was to cruise around the Island of Otoque and Bona on a quest for brown boobies, blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans and magnificent frigate birds. This was to be an expedition where we would learn about the natural history of these pelagic birds that have these islands as a very important nesting site. This was primarily a bird watching trip. Suddenly in the distance, Henry, our Zodiac driver spotted what he thought were some dolphins. As I checked with my binoculars, the pseudo dolphins were just too big, so big that they were actually false killer whales.
Via radio we called the other Zodiacs to get to the place as soon as possible so they too could enjoy the show that a group of at least 20 whales were performing for us. They were so close to the Zodiac that we could almost touch them. They were performing all kinds of acrobatic treats. Why do they do that? Cetaceans, primates and humans are the very few mammals that do things for fun, just for pure and simple pleasure. So you can tell how much they like it when people clap, laugh and splash the water because they answer with more activity.
Why are they named false killer whales? Their scientific name is Pseudorca crassidens, pseudo from false, crassi from dense or thick and dens from teeth. But their name refers to their behavior when feeding. They will chase and feed on dolphins, large yellow fin tunas and even blue whales and because they travel in groups, it is easier to hunt. They can reach a length of 20 feet and live up to 63 years. Their range is mainly tropical and subtropical waters.
You can tell when something is really amazing when people only speak monologues like, “uhh, ahh, ohhh, you saw, wow…” It was just too much; the group remained around the Zodiacs for at least 20 minutes and after that they started cruising away from us, and we went back to look for the boobies, pelicans and frigates. Don’t you like this kind of birdwatching?
After such an encounter we were back on board the Sea Voyager, lifted anchor and started our 180 nautical miles cruise to our next destination. Along the way we saw more cetaceans; this time they were Pantropical spotted dolphins, while we were birdwatching on deck. Again, I love this kind of birdwatching.
