Bottlenose Dolphins in the bay

On several Seal Watching Cruises last week passengers were excited to see a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins cruise near Seal Rocks and along the northern coast of Phillip Island. While they are regularly spotted in Westernport Bay, this pod was quite large, with at least 30 dolphins cruising around the boat! They were also seen feeding near Seal Rocks, an area where we more commonly see Common Dolphins.

Bottlenose Dolphins are considerably larger than Common Dolphins, growing up to 2.6m and weighing up to 230kg. Their bodies are different shades of grey, lighter on their flanks and bellyside; Common Dolphins have a distinct yellowish hourglass pattern on their sides.

Each pod of Bottlenose Dolphins consists of close family members and rely on their intricate vocal communication to work together to find food. They even have unique whistles and sounds for each of them!