RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Pictures taken by researchers from the Mammals Laboratory of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) on Friday, July 12th, show more than 500 Atlantic spotted dolphins swimming along Copacabana beach, in Rio’s south zone.
According to Professor José Lailson, this dolphin species is common in the city’s seas, but the researchers had never seen such a large group swimming together.
The animals followed the researchers’ boat and, during the tour, they also came across a humpback whale and played with it in the open sea.
According to the professor, the whale is around three years old and is 11 meters long. The species usually travels along the coast of Rio de Janeiro at this time of year, towards the northeast, where it will reproduce. On Friday alone, the researchers located ten whales.
