Every so often, San Felipe has had some very special visitors. The spotting of a pod of lithe, grey dolphins in the San Felipe bay is always a joyful sight. Our last visit was by a pod of 15+ that visited us a few months back, following the rowing team as they exercised out on the ocean. While several sleek dolphins trailed the rowing sculls, further out to sea, many more dove and leaped out of the water.
The Sea of Cortez is home to several species of dolphin, including the bottle-nosed dolphin, the common dolphin, the spotted dolphin, and of course, the rare vaquita, Phocoena sinus, also known as the Gulf of California harbor porpoise. It is the smallest and rarest cetacean in the world, and exists only in the northern area of the Sea of Cortez.
The dolphins visiting us this past time were the much more social, plentiful and well-known bottle-nosed dolphins. Curious and fun-loving, they ventured around the bay, a beautiful and unexpected sight. Hopefully these adventurous creatures will return soon! Text and this photo by: Anita Net. Reference: Alles, D. (2007). The Sea of Cortez. Western Washington University Biology Department.
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