Pair Of Risso’s Dolphins Spotted Off The Maltese Coast
A pair of Risso’s dolphins were sighted 20 kilometres off the west coast of Malta by free-diver Gabriel Bugelli while he was on his boat on Saturday morning.
Risso’s dolphins, sometimes called gray dolphins, are found in the temperate and tropical zones of all the world’s oceans and seas. The males and females are usually about the same size with a round head.
They have two to seven pairs of peg-like teeth in the front of their lower jaw to capture prey and usually none in their upper jaw. This low number of teeth is unusual when compared with other cetaceans.
“It felt very surreal honestly. I never even knew this species existed, let alone seeing these dolphins in our waters so close to shore,” Gabriel Bugelli told Lovin Malta.
They generally prefer deeper offshore waters, where they can dive to at least 304 metres and hold their breath for 30 minutes. As seen from the video, they are also very active on the ocean surface.
These dolphins normally feed on fish, krill and cephalopods like squid and octopus, mainly at night when their prey are closer to the surface. Their lifespan is of at least 35 years.
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