In the wake of cetaceans...
Eagerness to contemplate the open sea will increase steadily as you embark with a High Quality Whale-Watching® certified operator. But be aware that some cetaceans are likely to welcome you along the coast just outside the harbour. So follow the guide and keep a sharp eye out because in the Mediterranean, richness is everywhere!
The marine world knows no boundary. Cetaceans are free to move wherever they wish. However, sharing occurs in every ecosystem. Therefore, cetaceans prefer specific areas according to their feeding habits, physiological abilities, competition for resources, etc.
There are 11 species in the Mediterranean and 8 are more regular.
Find below information on the main species encountered in the north-western Mediterranean Sea.
Small cetaceans
Striped dolphin
Known as Stenella coeruleoalba by scientists. It is the most abundant but also the smallest cetacean in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. It is frequently observed all year-round!
Habitat: offshore, continental slope.
Size: 2m.
Weight: 150kg.
Life expectancy: about 40 years.
Diet: mainly fish and occasionally shrimps and cephalopods.
Social life: often observed in groups of a few dozen to a few hundred individuals. Very playful, it enjoys bow-riding the boat.
Mediterranean numbers: around 250,000 individuals.
IUCN* status in the Mediterranean: Vulnerable.
How to spot them at sea?
Striped dolphins can be very active at the surface (hunting, social interactions, etc.), they can be spotted from far away with their jumps and splashes.
Give it a closer look and the size and the light flame between the eye and the dorsal fin will help you distinguish it from the bottlenose dolphin.
Finally, the presence of marine birds coming to feed on a school of fish can also be a good indicator of the presence other species in the area such as cetaceans.
BE CAREFUL! From far away, dolphins can be confused with thonids hunting on a school of fish as seen on the picture below.
Bottlenose dolphin
Also goes by its latin name Tursiops truncatus. It is the most popular of all dolphins. You can spot it in the waters of the Sanctuary around large islands, including those of Hyeres. Its observation is regular all year-round!
Habitat: coastal, continental slope.
Size: 3.5m.
Weight: 300kg.
Life expectancy: up to 30 years.
Diet: mainly fish and occasionally crustaceans and cephalopods.
Social life: often encountered in groups of a dozen individuals.
north-western Mediterranean numbers: about 1,000 individuals.
IUCN in the Mediterranean: Vulnerable.
How to spot them at sea?
Splashes and jumps can be seen from far away.
The presence of birds is also a good criterion to explore an area.
If animals are calm but close to the boat, they can be spotted with their blows and their dorsal fins. However, that requires a bit of training as you eye gets tired quite rapidly with small water eddies.
Risso's dolphin
Also known as Grampus griseus. It is easily identifiable thanks to the numerous white scars on its grey skin..
Habitat: continental slope.
Size: 4m.
Weight: 250 to 400kg.
Life expectancy: 30 à 40 years.
Diet: teutophagous diet, meaning it feds exclusively on cephalopods.
Social life: often encountered in small groups of a dozen indivduals. Shy, it rearely comes bow-riding unlike other species.
Northwestern Mediterranean numbers: about 3,000 individuals.
IUCN status in the Mediterranean: Unknown.
How to spot it at sea?
The Risso's dolphin is quite shy and avoids boats. Thus, you need to pay close attention to spot blows and/or dorsal fins a few hundred meters from the boat.
Cuvier's beaked whale
De son nom latin Ziphius cavirostris. Il est caractérisé par une mandibule inférieure plus longue que la supérieure. L’espèce est essentiellement présente au niveau du Golf de Gênes et en mer Tyrrhénienne.
Habitat: continental slope.
Size: 6m.
Weight: 2 to 3t.
Life expectancy: 35 years.
Diet: cephalopods and fish.
Social life: rather solitary or in small groups, it is very shy and very difficult to see.
Numbers: Unknown.
IUCN status in the Mediterranean: Unknown.
How to spot them at sea?
Long-finned pilot whale
Scientits know it as Globicephala melas. It is rather common in the Sanctuary. It is regularly observed in summer.
Habitat: continental slope, offshore.
Size: 6.5m.
Weight: 3t.
Life expectancy: 40 to 50 years.
Diet: teutophagous diet, meaning it feds exclusively on cephalopods.
Social life: extremely social, it lives in stable groups of a dozen individuals. Bonds unifying members of a group are so strong that they can sometimes lead to mass strandings.
Northwestern Mediterranean numbers: 2,000 to 10,000 individuals.
IUCN status in the Mediterranean: Unknown.
How to spot them at sea?
Large cetaceans
Sperm whale
Called Physeter macrocephalus by scientists. It is the second largest cetacean in the Mediterranean.
Habitat: continental slope, offshore.
Size: 15m.
Weight: 40t.
Life expectancy: 60 to 70 years.
diet: teutophagous diet, meaning it feds exclusively on cephalopods.
Social life: males are rather solitary while females live in small groups with calves and immatures.
Numbers: a few hundred individuals.
IUCN status in the Mediterranean: Threatened.
How to spot it at sea?
In most cases the sperm whale is resting while at the surface. In that case, it can be spotted thanks to its powerful blow orientated at a 45° angle.
Fin whale
Also known as Balaenoptera physalus. It is the largest cetacean in the Mediterranean and the second largest animal in the world after the blue whale.
Habitat: offshore, continental slope.
Size: 20m.
Weight: 70t.
Life expectancy: 60 to 75 years.
Diet: krill (small shrimp-like zooplankton).
Social life: solitary or in small groups of 2-3 individuals.
Numbers: around 3,500 individuals.
IUCN status in the Mediterranean: Vulnerable.
How to spot it at sea?
Like the sperm whale, the fin whale only exceptionally jumps out of the water. Outside from the easily spottable presence of birds in large numbers, the only way of spotting a fin whale is its straight blow that can reach up to 6m high.