Mysterious Dolphins
A favored guest activity at Marco Island’s #BestKeptSecret is enjoying time on our deck watching for dolphins, and many guests have been delighted by the pleasure of a leap and ‘hello’. Additionally, there’s options for booking dolphin & shelling tours and swimming encounters. Would you be surprised to know that these beloved cetaceans have a mysterious and dark side?
*Mega Predators!
Dolphins are carnivorous predators that hunt in large groups and feed on massive amounts of sea creatures, up to 33 pounds a day!!! Fun Fact: They do not chew, and with multiple stomach chambers, digestion occurs in one, while the other chambers store food before its digestion.
*Dolphin Mating!
Often, gangs of two or three males will isolate a single female from the pod and forcibly mate with her for days or weeks. To keep her compliant, they threaten verbally and physically and will chase her down if she attempts to escape. Horny dolphins have also been known to target human swimmers!!!
*Dolphin Gangs!
Dolphins claim their own territory and develop an organized hierarchy within their ‘pods’. Each group has a different mission, such as raiding other dolphin pods in order to steal their females.
*Dolphin Murders!
Dolphins kill harbor porpoise babies. They’ve been caught on film pulping the baby porpoises-the dolphins even use their echolocation to aim their blows at the porpoises’ vital organs.
Dolphins kill their own babies. Baby dolphins have washed up alongside the dead porpoises. Some experts say that all the porpoise-slaughter is practice for infanticide. In some animal kingdoms, death of a baby allows the female to get pregnant again immediately, and some believe dolphins may have the same reasoning.
*Insomniacs!
Dolphins have the ability to stay up for up to 5 days without losing physical stamina or mental acuity. They rest one hemisphere of their brain for 15 to 20 mins at a stretch, while the other part of their brain remains alert and awake.
*Surprise!!!
The ‘Killer Whale’ Orca is actually a dolphin!!! Orcas are the largest of all dolphin species growing up to 32 feet long, while the largest of whales (the blue whale), can reach 100 feet.
Ready for an island getaway? Go grab a promo code from our ‘Offers’ page available for stays through 12/20/2022 and check out some of these dolphin tour options!
>Breakwater Adventures of Marco Island
