dolphin-lover1

[dolphin-lover1]

Dolphin photography tips?

Hey, I'm just wondering if anyone that does wildlife photography has any tips for when it comes to photographing dolphins? I'm a beginner to this, and I have a nikon D3400 with a 50 - 300mm lens. I pretty much only use auto to be honest as I don't know which settings would be best (but I do understand what each setting does and how to use the camera). here are some of the photos on my camera :)

[dolphin-lover1]

Sorry for disappearing. Here’s a witch whale

[dolphin-lover1]

Why people think dolphins are evil - and why they're wrong

Over the past few years, social media has been demonising dolphins (I mean literally - referring to them as demons, Satan, etc) for the way they behave. So I'd like to take a look at some of the reasons people think like this and share my thoughts.

This post is pretty much only about bottlenose dolphins, as this is the species people are usually referring to. Almost all 'evil' behaviours are observed primarily in this species (out of over 40 species of dolphin.)

I've gotten these reasonings from various sources.

#1

This is what I see the most when it comes to dolphins being evil. Honestly, I find it disgusting how casually people will refer to this as rape. This is something that can affect humans for a lifetime and cause a multitude of mental health struggles. It is NOT the same for an animal. First, let me make it clear that this behaviour is uncommon. The vast majority of the time, females can decide which male to mate with and when. They may even slap unruly males with their tails to keep them at bay. Other dolphins may step in and actually protect females being bothered by some males. But should a male forcefully copulate with a female (which is not rape, a human concept) it is not with malicious intent. They don't have the morals of humans and just act on instinct. I've also heard rumours of dolphins 'raping' humans. You can find videos online where dolphins in aquariums are trained to act as if they are humping a guest, just for some funny videos (which is a disgusting and degrading 'trick'.) But sometimes it is not trained - prolonged exposure to humans can cause dolphins to develop an unhealthy relationship with them and occasionally act sexually. Its not unusual in the animal kingdom for animals to see another species sexually when looking to mate. (And no, a human has never been raped by a dolphin, there have only been encounters where the dolphin was acting sexually.)

#2

Yes, dolphins can play with their food. However, it's more than just 'needless torture'. Playing with their food can:

°Help teach calves how to hunt

°Eliminate any choking hazards as the prey is softer and in smaller pieces

°Stun their prey making them easier to kill

°Ensure it's actually dead

°Be a source of enrichment and entertainment

And dolphins aren't alone in this behaviour. These same benefits apply to many predatory animals, such as big cats. They don't simply want to hurt another animal and they actually can display altruistic traits.

#3

Dolphins are at competition for food with harbour porpoises, among other species. Killing the porpoises reduces the food competition. It's important to animals that they have their own territory with food security - in many species this leads to fatal encounters. In the region that this article refers to specifically, there's been an increase in fishing - so, a decrease in food supply. This makes it especially important to eliminate the species they are in competition with. Dolphins don't tend to waste energy on killing something needlessly. Playing with them when they kill them can also provide the benefits listed at #2.

#4

Dolphins do not have the capacity to be evil. People seem to forget that they are animals. Animals, ofcourse, behave in an animalistic way. It can seem cruel to us - but to them, it all comes down to survival and their instincts. As mentioned before they don't have morals like we do. They may have some sense of morals, but their societies are very different to human ones, so why would we expect them to share our morals? Calling dolphins 'evil' is simply false, as this is something an animal can not be. In the past, people believed sharks had the capacity to be evil. Nowadays, people are always talking about how this is false (which it is, and it's great people have changed) BUT they then treat dolphins the exact same way, somehow not seeing the hypocrisy. No animal is evil.

#5

I honestly don't even know what to say about this one. No, dolphins can't be racist. This is a horrific lie.

#6

The dolphin involved in this incident was known as Tião. Tião was a lone male bottlenose dolphin. He spent alot of time close to shore, visiting piers and travelling with boats. He would sometimes interact with guests at the beach, becoming quite popular in the area. However, people began to harass Tião. Up to 30 people at a time would surround him, grabbing any part of him they could to drag him closer to them. People would stick icecream in his blow hole, force beer into his mouth, and not leave him alone. The man killed was drunk and harassing Tião. If you were treated this way, wouldn't you snap eventually too?

I could go on and on about this, but I'll leave it at that for now. Dolphins aren't evil. I hate the way people are wishing harm, death, and abuse on them over misinformation online. Even if dolphins were somehow 'evil' animal abuse can never be excused. I hope this can change some people's minds.

[dolphin-lover1]

how i've been feeling lately.

[dolphin-lover1]

[dolphin-lover1]

Spotted dolphins while on a walk today!! :)

Great to catch up with these guys.

(bottlenose dolphins)

[dolphin-lover1]

The functionally extinct orca ecotype (that no one speaks about)

Type 2 Eastern North Atlantic orca (exactly how they should be classified is up for debate, but for the sake of simplicity this is what I'll go with) inhabit the shores of Britain. With just 2 males remaining, each in their sixties - W001 'John Coe' and W008 'Aquarius' - the ecotype faces certain extinction. But what happened?

(Aquarius left/John Coe right - photos from HWDT)

Though this pod could have numbered >15 at one point, only 10 individuals have ever been officially recorded - never with a calf. The main reasons for this being inbreeding and pollution.

Having never been recorded interacting with the other orca pods that are occasional visitors to their home range, they certainly are a highly inbred group of orca. With only one small pod of this ecotype known, they've always been in a fragile state, perhaps destined to fail from the start. It's believed that these are orca from a different region that tried - and, unfortunately, failed - to cut out a niche for themselves in waters where orca were a rare sight. Their population simply wasn't sustainable long term - however, this is no doubt due to pollution, as well as inbreeding.

The most polluted marine mammal discovered thus far was the last female of the pod, Lulu. Lulu passed away after becoming entangled in a creel rope. Her body contained almost 1000 mg/kg of PCB's (a toxic compound used in the making of electronics). A safe amount is considered anything below 20. Evidence suggests that Lulu never had any calves, despite being well over the age of maturity. The combination of PCB's and inbreeding likely rendered her, perhaps even the entire pod, infertile.

It's a tragic end for a beautiful group of orca - with large, downward sloping eye patches, colossal dorsal fins, and an impressive size, these are absolutely beautiful orca. Very little is known about them, unfortunately - in fact, we have only 3 clips of their vocalisations (which are adorable, by the way) vvv

What we do know is that;

° they travel alot, and fast

° they prey on mammals

°they are quiet and reserved (ignoring boats, somewhat inactive, rarely vocalising)

We're witnessing the devastating end to an incredible group of orca - we can only hope this doesn't happen to others. :')

Here are some photographs from HWDT of the beautiful 'West Coast Community' orca.

[dolphin-lover1]

Interaction with wild animals

I feel like there's been a rise in people thinking that it's fine to interact with a wild animal. 😭 It's dangerous to both you and the animal. No matter how cute or friendly an animal looks, they can and may attack you.

If the animal in question isn't aggressive, they could become accustomed to humans. This means they could they stop behaving as they naturally should and come to rely on humans instead. The animal could approach a human that may intentionally or unintentionally hurt or kill it, like Luna the orca:

This little guy interacted very often with humans, which ultimately caused his death, killed accidentally by boat propellors.

Laws about interaction with animals exist for a reason, please please please abide by them :'))

[dolphin-lover1]

Thinking about Junior. He spent the last 5 years of his life alone in Marineland of Canada's warehouse. Poor baby :(

[dolphin-lover1]

Dolphin hate

I honestly think the way people are talking about dolphins now is disgusting. It's great to see sharks no longer portrayed as mindless killers, but it seems dolphins are getting that treatment. Alot of what is being said about them are straight up lies or huge exaggerations. 😭

I'm not saying dolphins are perfect angels. They're not. As with any other wild animal, they definitely can be dangerous, and their actions can seem cruel. But dolphins are not humans. To apply a human moral compass to them achieves nothing. 0.o

Acting like they are genuinely evil and bad natured beings only leads to people wishing them harm. I have seen people wish death and pain on dolphins. Here's hoping people switch up on them as fast they did sharks 🤞as these intelligent, charismatic souls don't deserve all this hate 🐬

[dolphin-lover1]

INTRO!!

° I am against cetacean captivity, but I don't mind if your opinion differs and I'm happy to discuss

° I do wildlife photography, mainly of bottlenose dolphins & harbour porpoises

° I am not a professional, I just really love cetaceans :p

° I also love the deep sea, and all the bizzare creatures down there

° I'm just here to share my pictures and talk about cetaceans :)

Here are acouple of my pictures!

Tips for improving photographs are appreciated :)