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Thousands of Risso Dolphins Spotted in Super Pod Around Monterey Bay

A super pod of over a thousand risso dolphins graced the Monterey Bay a few days ago. 

This sighting is one that is a bit out of the ordinary. Risso dolphins usually travel in pods of only 10-30, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration. 

Monterey Bay’s Whale Watch Team set out on a routine research survey to spot gray whales, but instead saw somewhere between 1500-2000 risso dolphins surrounding their boat. 

Marine biologist, Colleen Talty said these dolphins looked like they exhibiting behaviors of social interaction between each other including mating.


"We saw mating between several dolphins, and there's, I'm sure, way more mating going on than we weren't noticing," said Talty. "And then they were also jumping up out of the water, a lot spy hopping, so put pushing their head out of the water, tail slopping, doing all kinds of social stuff with each other."

Talty also said it wasn't her first time seeing these types of dolphins in the area, but what made the sighting so unique was the amount of risso dolphins that were swimming in the super pod. She also added that she believes the dolphins were of all ages ranging from babies all the way up to much older dolphins.


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Lindsey Selzer

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