The Furry Paws Chronicles

About more than 300 melon-head dolphins were found stranded in the shallow outskirts of the Manila Bay, surrounded by the localities of Pilar and Orion, Bataan, Philippines. It is one of the unusual sights that amazed and worried the locals and authorities in the said area.

In an article from CNN :

“This is the first time as far as I can remember that so many dolphins are inside Manila Bay and acting so erratically,” said Malcolm Sarmiento, director of the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

The dolphins were spotted about a mile offshore near the townships of Pilar and Orion in Bataan province, he said.

Stranded Dolphins in the Philippines / Photo by Philippine Daily Inquirer

Philippine locals and authorities contributed their efforts to save the dolphins from certain death due to mass stranding and refloated them to the deeper waters. Fortunately, they are able to guide the dolphins towards the deeper waters with only few casualties. 3 dolphins composed of 2 adult females and 1 dolphin calf were found dead on the beach in Abucay, Bataan while a 4th and ailing dolphin was found in the beach of Balanga, Bataan. Authorities and experts from the Ocean Adventure in SBMA, Clark, Pampanga were able to give proper medications to the ailing dolphin and is now transporting the creature to their headquarters in Pampanga for further care.

From Wikipedia :

The Melon-headed Whale has a body shape rather like a torpedo – its head shaped like a rounded cone giving the animal its common name. The body is more or less uniformly light grey except for a dark grey face – sometimes called the “mask”. The flippers are long and pointed. The dorsal fin is tall with a pointed tip – reminiscent of its cousin the Orca. When viewed in profile the head is not as rounded as the Pygmy Killer and this may be an aid to identification.

This whale is capable of swimming very quickly, particularly when startled. When doing so it often makes short low jumps clear of the sea surface, causing lots of splash. Melon-heads usually gather in large numbers (at least 100 and possible as many as 1000 on rare occasions) and sometimes strand together.

The Melon-head weighs about 10-15 kilograms (22-33 lb) at birth and is 1 meter (3 ft) long. An adult grows up to 3 meters (10 ft) long and weighs in excess of 200 kilograms (440 lb). The whales’ lifespan is at least 20 years and probably more than 30 years for females.

Their primary diet is squid.

Note: Six species in the family Delphinidae (includes the melon-headed whale) are commonly called “whales” but are strictly speaking dolphins. They are sometimes called blackfish.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melon-headed_Whale

http://www.inquirer.net/

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/philippines.doplhins/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphins