Pilot whales

Somewhere offshore from the coast of Tenerife lives a large family of pilot whales.

Two pilots

They stay the whole year in the same part of the ocean, peacefully plowing through the water and spurting water.

Pilot whale

Pilot whales are funny animals, with their stumpy heads and curvy dorsal fin. But they have a nice serenity around them, as they enjoy day after day in the wide ocean.

Pilot whale fin

It makes you wonder how they deal with the immense amount of space all around them.

Pilot whale and Los Gigantes

But they seem to do fine as they get support from each other to make the big ocean that little bit less overwhelming.

Family of pilot whales

The pilots are real stars. They provide all on their own one of the main touristic attractions of Tenerife, and that means a thing. They see a lot of cameras every day, which could make you wonder if this ecotourism is that healthy for wild animals. On the other hand, the economical value of the pilot whales is huge, which is the reason why they are probably among the better protected animals in the world.  If you are worth more alive than dead, they hopefully keep you in that state as long as possible…

Whale watching tourists

Whale and Tenerife

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8 Responses to Pilot whales

  1. Nikita Lens says:

    Mooi 🙂 en inderdaad te hopen dat ze deze dieren goed blijven beschermen!

  2. Deb Courtner says:

    They’re stunning animals! Nice photography!

  3. What a lovely buffet….Uh, I mean what lovely creatures!!! *(trills)* *(chatters)*

  4. …but I’D LOVE TO TRY!! *(drools)*

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