Hey, hey it’s Fin Friday and spotlight on #dolphinsofponta Rob today! Rob (A. 12bd35t) is undeniably one of the most recognisable dolphins that can be found cruising the coastal shallows of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve.
He can be identified through a series of large white patches that are situated on the left hand side of his body. We are unclear what caused the damages initially however when first encountered Rob had what could be a cookie cutter wound (image 1997), an open circular lesion in-front of the remora.
Rob was named after the first dedicated dolphin skipper in Mozambique and is part of the select group that was first identified by founders in the mid 90’st. He was a young adult then and has over the years been recorded 229 times in the area. We guesstimate Rob to be around 35-40 years old.
As an elder mature adult male, Rob is heavily speckled (when bottlenose dolphins are born they have no ventral speckling with spots starting to develop at around four years old and increasing with age). For the past two decades he has been recorded mostly in the company of his BF’s Tik and Dylan. Rob and the boys have been known to disappear for months on end and return to procreate and protect their ladies and offspring during the calving season.
Rob has never been a conscious interactor or circle swimmer. He, like many of the older males have a certain air about them that leaves one with an immense sense of respect. They are protectors of their tribe, are very aware of their surroundings and when encountered tend to keep their distance. An interesting encounter occurred in the January of 2018, when Rob was observed in the company of Tik (with the seagrass / sargassum) and Dylan while accompanying a small nursery pod. They were resting and very quiet in the water - Rob was the only male to have his penis out which could possibly be a show of dominance.
A year later, he and the boys were sighted in the company of pregnant females Sabby and Tatti - it was then that Angie nearly cracked a circle swim with Rob! The overall feeling in the water - again was of respect, however this time there was no resting - the females had seaweed / sargassum and the boys were milling around! Defiantly the best encountour with Rob so far!
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To find out how you can go about adopting one of our special finned friends please visit the site of the Society of Dolphin Conservation in Germany.
Don’t forget to checkout our partners at the World Cetacean Alliance to find out more about our vision of A World where cetaceans are only found in the wild, are respected and fully protected!
