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Showing posts with label whales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whales. Show all posts

Monday, May 28, 2018

Very large minke whale found dead

The large dead minke whale being lifted out of the water in Vueltas harbour (Image: Speedy Adventure)
A very large minke whale was discovered floating dead in the Atlantic just off La Gomera not far from the harbour of Valle Gran Rey on Saturday. The carcass was towed into the port and lifted out of the water with the crane on the pier and onto a council truck for disposal. The minke whale showed no visible signs of injuries and further examinations and tests were to be carried out to determine the cause of death. However experts were surprised at the unusually large size of the marine mammal. This male dead minke whale measured about eight metres in length (25 ft), which is a metre longer than normally encountered. The waters just off the south coast of La Gomera are a popular spot for whale watching and more than 30 species of marine mammals have been sighted there.
Almost too large for the council lorry (Image: RTVC)

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Orca sighting off La Gomera


La Gomera, and especially an area in the Atlantic just off the southern coastline, forms part of one of best whale watching destinations in the world, where you can experience the sight of over 20 species of whales and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Throughout the whole year there is a 90 percent chance of observing a variety of marine mammals and also turtles and flying fish. This is probably because the biodiversity here is extremely rich and especially attractive to cetaceans.
Some of these mammals live here on a permanent basis and among them are many species of dolphins such as bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins or common dolphins. Furthermore there is a uniquely large population of pilot whales living here permanently.
Other marine mammals congregate here temporarily while passing through his part of the Atlantic. A couple of days ago Jose Miguel, the skipper of both 'Tina' and 'Speedy' whale watching boats operating out of Valle Gran Rey's Vueltas harbour, spotted and filmed a small group of orcas in the area and posted the above video on his Facebook page. Orcas are rarely seen in the area, but have been encountered near La Gomera before.