Spinner dolphin

The long-billed dolphins stay year-round around Nosy Be, so it is possible to see them at each of the outings which take us a little offshore, as during humpback whale outings or during our days or bivouac in Nosy Iranja .

Long-billed dolphins feed on small fish (less than 20cm), mainly lantern fish, which they will hunt at night at more than 200 meters deep! These fish, which live more than 400 meters deep, go up at night following the plankton! They use echolocation (radar system) to locate schools of fish and hunt them.

La journée est quant à elle divisée en trois phases distinctes – jeu, repos et reproduction – souvent sur le plateau continental. Ces phases s’enchainent et se répètent jusqu’au coucher du soleil.

Long-billed dolphins are small dolphins, which measure on average 180 cm, and can weigh up to 80 kg in adulthood.

They are spectacular dolphins, who love to play with boats. In addition to surfing the bow or the waves behind the engine, they are the only dolphins capable of making up to 7 spins on themselves, to the delight of the eyes, young and old!

It is quite common to see them accompanying other dolphins, especially their cousins the spotted dolphins but also bottlenose dolphins. It is possible to see them playing with larger animals, such as humpback whales, which he likes to tease.