Dolphins

 

A major spot for Dolphin watching, Sri Lanka is located with a protected zone in the Indian Ocean. Spotting pods of dolphins along the North Western and Southern coast of Sri Lanka is always a memorable experience.

Alankuda Beach in Kalpitiya is a great starting point if you are interested in catching these beautiful sea creatures in action. Mirissa and off Dondra in the southern coast of Sri Lanka is also a favoured spot to witness dolphins.
Large pods of dolphins are always visible during the migration season while the best months to witness these blessed creatures are from November to April down south as well as in Kalpitiya. Check out the packages that Lakpura Travels have in store and make your holiday more interesting and worthwhile.

Bottlenose Dolphin: Belonging to the genus Tursiops, the Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common and well known member in the dolphin family. The bottlenose dolphin usually travel and live in groups of 10 – 30 called pods while the group size can vary from a single dolphin to more than a 1000. Their diets mainly consist of forage fish while they either work as a team or hunt individually. These sea creatures use sound to communicate and locate nearby shapes which can also be potential prey.

Spotted Dolphin: Found in all temperate and tropical oceans, the spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) has come under threat due to the killing of millions of individual dolphins in tuna seine fishing which is a method of fishing that employs a seine or dragnet. The total world population of the spotted dolphin exceeds 2 million which is considered as the 2nd most abundant cetacean after the bottlenose dolphin.

Striped Dolphin: The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) which is found in temperate and tropical waters of all the world’s oceans also belongs to the dolphin family. This species is smaller in size compared to other dolphins while their body colour is different than others making it easier to spot them at sea. The striped dolphin feeds on small pelagic fish and squid.

Spinner Dolphin: A small dolphin found along off-shore tropical waters around the world, the spinner dolphin (stenella longirostris) is well known for its acrobatic displays where it spins while leaping through mid air. This beautiful sea creature is also known as the long snouted dolphin while the adult is typically 129 – 235 cm long. The spinner dolphin also has more geographic variation and coloration than other cetaceans.

Fraser’s Dolphin: Also known as the Sarawak dolphin, the Fraser’s Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) is mainly spotted in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Indian Ocean as well as the Atlantic. This dolphin can grow up to 2.75 meters and weigh about 200kg’s during its growing years. They are quick swimmers and are found in tightly packed groups of 100 – 1000 in number. They chop water tremendously making a dramatic display when swimming in large numbers.

Risso’s Dolphin: The only species belonging to the genus ‘Grampus’, the Risso’s Dolphin has a relatively large anterior body and dorsal fin. The usual length of this kind is 10 feet but there are some that can grow up to 14 feet. The Risso’s dolphin can weigh from 300 – 500 kg’s making it one of the largest dolphin species. They are found closer to land in worldwide temperate and tropical waters, especially the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.