I’m going to be taking a little poetic license here  with time and place so please bear with me – I am sure you will like the results..

On a series of perfectly stunning sunny days with light breezes, we set sail in open waters to seek out views of some rather spectacular cetaceans (order of aquatic animals that include whales, dolphins and porpoises) – specifically pink dolphins and humpback whales. I have 99never seen the former which are very rare, and my sighting of humpback whales have been  seconds only flashes of their large bodies skimming the service – like these:

Dolphin and whale watching obviously come with no guarantees that you will see anything – I take the view that at a minimum I will spend a lovely time on the water and sightings are a bonus – so these excursions were extra special.

First, little background on our first sighting – a pink dolphin:

PINK DOLPHINS ARE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT – Pink Amazon river dolphins are not the same dolphins you find in the ocean and are actually only distantly related to sea dolphins.  Pink dolphins have special adaptations to their Amazonian habitat and their appearance is quite distinct.

These dolphins don’t jump high out the water like gray dolphins – making sighting even more difficult – they tend to just breach the surface.  They are smaller than sea dolphins – adults are about 6.5 feet in length and weigh between 185 and 355 pounds while sea dolphins are about 8.5 feet and  between 300-400 pounds.

They come in all shades of pink, from a dull gray-pink, to rosy colored pink. They also flush a bright pink color when they become excited.  They are very intelligent with a brain capacity that is 40% larger than that of humans.

There are several other anatomical differences between the Amazon River dolphin and other types of dolphins.:

• Amazon River dolphins are able to turn their necks from side to side 180 degrees while most species of dolphin can’t.
• They can paddle forward with one flipper, while paddling backward with the other.  During floods  these dolphins can swim up over the flooded land and their flexibility helps them to navigate around trees.
• Pink dolphins have  molar-like teeth that allow them to chew their prey and bristle-like hairs at the ends of their snouts that help them search for food on the muddy river bottoms.

True to my past experiences – our view of a pink dolphin was fleeting – but none the less totally awesome as one  just emerged to take a gander at the humans:

If he had come emerged a bit more – he could have looked like this (from the internet):

Sadly, they are one of the most endangered species of the world’s cetaceans, with a “threatened classification.  This is due to loss of habitat, decrease in food sources, rising levels of contaminants such as mercury as well as increase of traffic in the Amazon river .  While many of the locals do not harm them with the belief in the legend that the pink river dolphins stalk the rainforest at night disguised as handsome, white-hat wearing men (the hat is used to hide their blowhole) in order to seduce and impregnate innocent local women, this is not enough to protect the species.  These gentle creatures deserve better.

I was humbled to see even just a head of one.

Part B next week – stay tuned!

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