Inhabiting deeper water around our coasts where they hunt for squid, Risso’s Dolphins are a rarer sight that Common and Bottlenose Dolphins, but they occasionally come in close to the coast.
Although not a common sight on our Sealife Safaris, occasionally we are treated to sightings of Risso’s Dolphins when they travel closer to the coast. They spend most of their time further offshore on the deep water continental shelves where they dive as deep as 500 metres for up to 30 minutes to hunt mainly squid, but also octopus and cuttlefish. Surprisingly, they don’t actually have many teeth, with 4-14 teeth on their lower jaw and none on their top jaw. They use the teeth they have to grab onto their prey and then swallow it whole. Risso’s Dolphins are not as sociable with boats as other dolphin species, but can be very active at the surface, breaching upright out of the water. They are sometimes seen travelling with other species, particularly Bottlenose Dolphins.
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Risso Dolphins are the largest dolphin and are able to dive to 1,000 feet and hold their breath for 30 minutes.
Book a boat trip to be in with a chance of spotting these amazing animals. Risso’s dolphins are not a common sight on our boats trips but we are treated to sightings of them occasionally, when they come closer in to shore. Our boat trips are an unforgettable adventure, where you can see some amazing scenery as we search for an array of sealife.
Risso dolphins are the largest member of the dolphin family and have a distinct grey colour. They love deep water which means they’re relatively unstudied but around the world they’re coming in closer to shores allowing more research to be done on them.
Risso dolphins are usually found in subtropical waters as they prefer habitats which offer mid-temperature waters on a continental shelf but can be found venturing closer to Cornwall as the water gets warmer here, usually found afar from shore hunting in deeper water.
These dolphins love squid, this is because they hunt during the darkness as the squids get closer to the surface but Risso’s aren’t picky and will eat squid, octopus, cuttlefish and krill but this diet can determine on where they are in the continent.
Risso’s or sometimes called grey dolphins can be found in waters at least 1,000ft deep and they can hold their breath for 30 minutes which makes them perfect deep water predators.
The scars are a compelling feature when you first see a Risso dolphin but they are caused by a loss of pigment during a healing process typically caused by either their prey putting up a fight or other dolphins as they fight for the hierarchy.
Padstow Sealife Safaris give you the chance to get up close and personal with these fascinating creatures. Depending on the time of year that you choose to visit, you’ll have the chance to see a number of different species.
