Bottlenose Dolphins 5/25/23
While out getting shots of the whales I saw this group of three Bottlenose Dolphins go by. I sent them to The Marine Mammal Center for individual ID and they were able to ID the two adults. Here’s the background information on them:
Dave, another interesting group -- this time you have a pair of male dolphins that are in a long-term pair bond (male alliance partners is another term used). Like the last ones you saw, they started their lives (at least in a catalog) in Santa Barbara in the late 1990s then moved to Monterey Bay before coming father north to our area. I first saw them in 2013. Placido has had it rough -- got the leading edge of his dorsal fin whacked (maybe a line injury, not sure) in 2020. And his upper trailing notch has continued to grow. Meanwhile, his partner, Unity, has hardly changed its notches in mnay years.
