A super pod of dolphins spent most of Thursday morning enchanting Hout Bay residents. A smaller pod arrived at 8am and rounded the bay before making their way out, and returning an hour later with a larger group.
They made it in time to catch the eye of walkers and runners enjoying their morning out.
The Cape is home to several species of dolphins but only one is endemic, the Heaviside’s dolphin. These marine mammals frequent the waters throughout the year and can be found in the Hout Bay, False Bay area.
According to Marinebio.org, Heaviside’s dolphins or Cephalorhynchus heavisidii, are found in coastal waters off the southwest coast of Africa from northern Namibia (17°09’S) south to Cape Point in Cape Province (34°21’S).
Things you didn’t know about dolphins:
– There are about 90 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, they are collectively known as “cetaceans”
– they have two stomachs, one is used for food storage and the other for digestion
– they are very caring creatures and they care for the sick and aged dolphins in their pod
– scientists discovered that dolphins give themselves names by using individual whistles to recognise each other
– on average dolphins can live to 17 years but some are known to live up to 50 years.
Pictures: Imaad Griffiths and Nidha Narrandes