#truncatus

Mother of angels

Yesterday I learnt of the passing of Suku, one of the baby dolphins I got to know while volunteering at the Dolphin Academy in Curacao. Ten years ago she was a little spunky one-year old. Exploring the world, testing the patience of her mum and all the humans around her. With the sweetest smile and so much joy. I was allowed to help with her training, functioning as a stand in guest while practicing way too hard 'kisses' and tentative handshakes next to mum.

A few months is of course nothing compared to the real trainers, who spent every day of every year with her, from the moment she was born to the moment she passed. But getting to meet her, as well as the other dolphins, remains one of the most special and profound privileges of my life. They taught me so much about dolphins, and what its like to care for them, share a life with them. I witnessed first hand how these animals are family, or even more than that. However brief our encounter, her death really hit me, harder than expected.

So I wanted to share these images in her memory. The drawing up top was made back then for Suku's head trainer. It shows Suku on the left below her mom, Ritiña. On the right swims Ritiña's other daughter, Alita, who'd passed away years earlier. I hope Suku's found her half sister, somewhere up there in the big blue. And I hope their spirit lives on in their fantastic mum.

Two species of bottlenose dolphin in Eastern Australia

These are two older illustrations I recently revamped. I really like how they turned out so I decided to make a little infographic. The distribution and ecological interaction between these two species is very interesting. In many places, two types of Common bottlenose dolphin exist:

• The coastal / inshore type, which inhabits small ranges in (very) shallow water • The oceanic / offshore type, which inhabits very large ranges in deep water

The oceanic type can appear quite close to shore in places where the seafloor quickly drops (here the coastal type is often absent), but in most areas with extended shallows the coastal type will make its home. However, once you enter the range of the Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin, the coastal type disappears. Indo-pacific bottlenoses completely fill their coastal niche, and only oceanic-type Common bottlenoses remain. This situation is very noticeable in Australia, which these illustrations are based on.

SEALIFE illustration pt 2: SMALLER DOLPHINS Last summer, I was commissioned by SEALIFE dolphin watching to create some illustrations for their new educational building. They opted for full realism, which made me very happy since it’s been a while since I could go all out on the nitty gritty details of pretty cetaceans. Over the next few days I’ll upload them all so you can finally see these beautiful boys and girls too. 

★ Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) As in many places, bottlenoses are part of the staple diet in Lagos. These are oceanic though, meaning they’re bigger than what most are familiar with from marine parks or coastal areas. They have massive bodies, some 3 or 4 metres long, and small heads with thick, stout beaks. Often their dorsal fins are white with rake marks - apparently that’s easiest to grab onto in a fight. Their markings are as delicate as always though, and I'm happy to say I finally think I got them right.

★ Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) A pretty boy to represent the species. You can tell gender often by markings - males are more boldly adorned - but in this case the post-anal hump is more conclusive: females have a slender tail without the bump. Common dolphins are incredibly varied in appearance around the world, but this is about as average as they get in the Atlantic. It makes them none the less beautiful though.

“Dreams”

“I’ve been having these dreams… and I’m not sure what they mean.”

“Dream Swimmers”

“Three out of four”

Three out of four… dolphins would not recommend this experience. That’s a Portuguese man o’ war, also known as Bluebottle. These very pretty creatures, although resembling jellyfish, are in fact a colony of tiny organisms living together to form an organised whole. They are so adapted to living together that they can’t even survive on their own. But boy, do they pack a punch altogether. Bluebottle stings are incredibly painful to humans, and I can only imagine dolphins to find the experience less than pleasant too. Don’t touch.