SILVERSONIC'S SPINNER DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER !

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10 January 2007, Port Douglas

Silversonic passengers were delighted as over 50 Spinner Dolphins joined them at Wreck Bay on the Agincourt Ribbon Reef system.

The Dolphins played around the vessel in the shallows of the reef for over an hour.

About Spinner Dolphins ...

Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris)  - These small (2-3m) dolphins are found throughout both temperate and tropical waters, and are frequently seen by visitors to the outer reef. Their name is derived from the fact that they spin as they leap out of the water. Why they do this is unknown, but highly speculated.

They are smaller and slender than bottlenose dolphins, and have well defined markings, making identification of individuals fairly easy. They appear to be fairly playful, and will often ride the bow wave of vessels.

The pods (or groups) can be quite sizeable, reaching over 200 in number. The Agincourt reef system have had 2 pods present for a number of years that are seen frequently, one pod with approximately 40, and the other slightly larger (70+). They were particularly interested during the installation of the Ag3 pontoon in the mid-90’s, with sitings on a daily basis. Being toothed cetaceans, their major source of food is fish, squid and occasionally birds. The species name, longirostris, is latin for long snout, or nose.

(Information on Spinner Dolphins by Reef Biosearch)

For more information,
Megan Bell, Director of Marketing, Quicksilver Group
Tel:  (07) 4052 7814, 0412 570 268
E:  megan@quicksilvergroup.com.au