Splash Winter 2015

INSIDE! BELUGAS VISIT BRITAIN

MEET THE WHALES AND DOLPHINS YOU ADOPT

YOUR VERY OWN WDC ADOPTION MAGAZINE

WINTER 15

PUZZLES !

FUN FACTS !

STORIES

HERE COMES

o g i Ind WIN! 速

AN AMAZING LEGO CITY PLAY SET

Let’s make a THE THINGS YOU DO

work!

Keep up the good

What a drama

V

ery sadly for me, this is going to be my last ever SPLASH! After 18 years at WDC, I am changing jobs to work with children at a local primary school, and so I will be handing over the magazine reins to my very good friend and colleague Ali Wood, who I’ve known for many years. I’m certain Ali will do a fantastic job looking after SPLASH! and, with your help, make it the very best it can be.

Please continue to send her your pictures, ideas, comments and questions as always.

I’ve enjoyed some amazing times while working here – guiding people around Iceland and Patagonia on whale watching trips, taking part in dolphin surveys around Cornwall and Wales, and working with many thousands of children at events and in schools. I’m going to miss it all.

And it goes without saying that I will miss you all too. You have been, and continue to be, wonderful whale and dolphin supporters that I am totally proud of. Keep up the good work!

Goodbye and a huge thank you.

G

ullane Parish Sunday School raised a spectacular £125 for WDC with their production of Jonah and the Whale. It was orca adopter Amy Crummey who came up with the idea of putting on a play with her friends to help whales and dolphins.

A big round of applause to everyone involved!

Tell the world

W

DC supporter Alan Cooper sponsors a young girl in Tibet and recently adopted a dolphin for her. Here she is watching a WDC film with her classmates. This was followed up by the children writing a poem about whales and dolphins. WDC’s reach is truly international!

Pretty pennies

1

st Skipwith Brownies made this brilliant picture using coins and raised an impressive £30.

They also got crafty making some origami dolphins and took part in our quiz. Great job girls!

Find out how your Brownie group can become friends to whales and dolphins at bit.ly/WDCFriend

splash!

GALLERY

Postage Reminder

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hank you to Josie, Naryani, Emily and Elanor for your lovely drawings. If you would like to send us a poem or picture you can either post it to us, or send it to splash@whales.org

sure you Please make stamps ct put the corre send us – u yo r on any lette cost more! big envelopes

HHH

Emily Welsh

is Our address , C D W , Splash! , se ou H ld fie Brook et, tre S l au P t S 38 SN15 1LJ Chippenham

Naryani Costa-Jafrate

Elanor Trigg

Josie Wilson

Welcome Indigo

Y

ou may remember in the last issue of SPLASH! we asked you to help us to name Rainbow’s calf. We had an amazing response and you suggested some great names for this fun-loving dolphin.

We have decided to call Rainbow’s baby Indigo. We chose the name as it’s one of

the colours of a rainbow and we think the name really suits him. Thank you to Robyn MacDonald, Frances Hoad and Andrea McOmish who suggested this name.

You can keep up to date with Rainbow, Prism, Raindrop and Indigo’s adventures in SPLASH! or through Charlie’s blog at adoptadolphin.com/blog

DID YOU KNOW? The bottlenose dolphins who live in Scottish waters are the biggest of their kind in the world!

Winter 2015 SPLASH! 3 Spring 2015 SPLASH!

AMAZING TALES olphins Harry defends d

W

e’re delighted that One Direction star Harry Styles has shown his support for whales and dolphins by telling fans, ‘Don’t go to SeaWorld’.

He made the appeal onstage during a One Direction concert in San Diego, which is home to one of three SeaWorld theme parks in the USA. SeaWorld responded to Harry’s comments by inviting him to take a look behind the scenes at their facilities. They have also said they will

answer all of his questions.

A recent report released

by SeaWorld shows that Harry isn’t the only one avoiding its parks. Both the number of people visiting SeaWorld and the amount of money the company is earning have fallen when compared to last year.

Will Harry go? We will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, let’s hope that his legions of fans will be staying away from SeaWorld!

tivity Kids against cap

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s part of her school science project, WDC supporter Via Masina asked young people aged between 10 and 13 in America and the UK how they felt about whales and dolphins being held captive and made to perform.

Via received 174 responses to her survey and discovered that 72% of these children believe protecting whales and dolphins and their environment is very important. The majority 4 SPLASH! Winter 2015

r Nettie Happy ending fo

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e are thrilled to announce that ‘Nettie’, a humpback whale who was entangled near Iceland, has been saved by a dedicated team from British Divers Marine Life Rescue with help from WDC.

also felt that keeping whales and dolphins in captivity and making them perform circus-style tricks was wrong.

For her excellent presentation Via was awarded third place in her school’s science fair.

The brave team worked or hours to remo e fishing gear that had become tangled around Nettie’s tail, body and mouth.

Hopefully this lucky whale now has plenty of years left to enjoy swimming free!

discovered Ancient dolphin

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cientists have discovered evidence of an extinct river dolphin species.

They found fossils in the ancient marine rocks of Panama, Central America, and have named

RECORD BREAKERS

the newly discovered dolphin Isthminia panamensis, in recognition of where it was found.

Scientists believe this dolphin is the closest relative of the living Amazon River dolphin (boto).

DID YOU KNOW?

UK welcomes arctic visitors

GORDON WATSON / ELDING WHALE WATCHING / FERNANDO TRUJILLO

I

n August we were very excited by what is believed to be the first e er sighting o a eluga whale o the coast of Northern Ireland. We were even more surprised in September when two more belugas were s otted o the coast of Northumberland, north-east England.

Belugas are normally found in cold, arctic waters and it is unclear what brought these

Scientists have discovered that bowhead whales can live for over 200 years. This means the bowhead is the longest–lived mammal on earth.

special visitors so far south. In 30 years there have only been 17 recorded sightings of belugas around Britain and Ireland.

Photographer Gordon Watson spotted the white whale surfacing on the County Antrim coast in Northern Ireland and even managed to capture him or her on camera. Watch his video at bit.ly/NIbeluga

Beluga whales are also known as sea canaries because of their high-pitched chatter.

ANDREW SUTTON ECO2 / NICE IMAGES

ed Blue whale spott or the first time e er, a lue whale has een ca tured on film in nglish waters he sighting occurred around km o the coast o Cornwall in ugust Marine scientist Professor Russell Wynn, from the National Oceanography Centre, was part of a team aboard a research ship when he was lucky enough

to spot the huge whale. He said, ‘I was enjoying watching u to se en fin whales around the shi , when the blue whale suddenly surfaced.’

The blue whale is the largest creature ever to have existed on Earth and can grow up to 29m long, twice the length of a double-decker bus!

Fun factory Games and puzzles with great prizes to be won! Please remember to include your name and address when sending in competition entries!

BOTTLENOSE BIOLOGY Can you name all of these parts of a dolphin? Turn to page 8 for the answers

1 2

5

7

4

6 1. D _ R _ _ _ F _ _ 2. B _ _ _ H _ _ _

5. _ _ R

3. M _ L _N

6. P _ _ T _ _ _ _ F _ _

4. B _ _ K

7. F _ _ _ E

SPLISH SPL& ASH 6 SPLASH! Winter 2015

3

HOW SMART ARE DOLPHINS? Find out by watching this fantastic new animation online at bit.ly/DolpIQ

Spot the difference

Take a look at two pictures of narwhals. Can you find 10 differences between them?

Did you know? A narwhal’s tusk is actually a long spiralled tooth and they were once sold as the horns of the mythical unicorn

A WHALE’S TALE

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2015 The LEGO Group

Hear what this whale has to say and see if you can work out who it is. Tick the box next to the correct whale.

My pectoral fins are five metres long

PRIZE!!!!!!!!!

You could win this fantastic LEGO® City Swamp Police Station play set.

LEGO.com/CITY

I sing the longest songs in the animal kingdom

I am an impressive acrobat

Humpback

I can blow bubbles to help me catch fish

Sperm

To enter, cut along the dotted line and send this page with your Whale’s Tale answer and your name and address to:

SPLASH!, WDC, Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, SN15 1LJ. Or email your answer to: splash@whales.org by 23 December 2015.

Gray Winter 2015 SPLASH! 7

HAVE YOUR SAY! Here’s your chance to let us know what you think What s the est thing in this issue ..........................................................................................

SEARCH THE SEAS

Can you identify the six species of dolphin from the clues elow and then find out where the are hiding in the wordsearch?

1. R _ SS _ _ 3. BO _ _ _ _ NO _ _ 5. _ OUR _ L _ _ _

2. HEC _ _ _ _ 4. S _ _ NN _ _ 6. O _ _ A

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What’s your favourite section? n et s make a H n ma ing ales n Fun Factory n Fact File! n earning a n Whale and dolphin n Catch up with Friends facts and records n ll a out WDC ro ects s there an thing ou d like to change a out H erha s ou ha e an idea a out a section to add .......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................

E A W I L Q F H S M

S P I N N E R J H E

O S P L W O Y D E L

N S A O R C A I C N

E L Z A Y B L X F G V R S B K A T O I M

T G N H B R A G R G

T P O Y E C U O S R

O I M V I G F O C P

B R I S S 0 S L H O

s there an thing that ou e alwa s wanted to know about whales and dolphins? .......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................

Give us a SHOUT! ttach a letter, oem, hoto or drawing and let us know all a out it or email it to splash@whales.org. t might e rinted in the ne t issue o H D Name ...............................................................................

Date of Birth..................................................................... ddress............................................................................ .......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... .......................................................................................... ostcode..............

Email ................................................................................

8 SPLASH! Winter 2015

ALL AT SEA Barr s een out whale watching ut has lost his way!

Draw him the right route ack to the island.

ANSWERS: Bottlenose Biology 1. Dorsal Fin 2. Blowhole 3. Melon 4. Beak 5. Ear 6. Pectoral Fin 7. Fluke

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To find out more about the many wonderful whale and dolphin species, visit WDC’s Species Guide at whales.org/ species-guide

Spinner dolphin

IMOGEN WEBSTER

They tend to travel in groups of five to 200 and it is thought that the spinning leaps may be a form of communication.

Social life

They can leap up to three metres out of the water and perform as many as seven spins before re-entering.

Did you know?

The slim and slender spinner dolphin has a long beak with distinctive black ‘lips’, small flippers and a triangular dorsal fin. While they can be confused with other dolphins, their unique spinning behaviour makes them easy to spot.

Appearance

They often feed at night and will dive down 200–300 metres to catch small fish, squid and shrimp.

Food

There are four different types, or subspecies, of spinner dolphin and they all prefer living in warmer waters.

Gray’s spinner dolphin is found in all of the world’s oceans. The Eastern spinner dolphin and Central American spinner dolphin are from the eastern tropical Pacific, and the dwarf spinner dolphin can be found in south-east Asia and northern Australia.

Habitat

As you might expect, spinner dolphins get their name from the amazing acrobatic spins they perform when leaping out of the water.

Name

FACT FILE

Learning lab Species guide JESS’S JOURNEY

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his summer I was lucky enough to visit the beautiful island of Madeira with my family, and discover some of the wonderful wildlife that lives there.

Madeira is a Portuguese island in the tlantic cean o the northwest coast of Africa. The land that you see is actually the top of a huge underwater mountain. This means that everything is on a slope and so you get the most amazing views across the water from almost anywhere you stand. It’s a fantastic place for watching whales and dolphins enjoying the vastness of their ocean home – we did so from both boat and land.

Atlantic spotted dolphin

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hese summer visitors to Madeiran waters are very fast swimmers and inquisitive about us too, as they will often approach boats and ride along the bow wave. They are recognisable by their strong, compact bodies, chunky beaks and, of course, the distinctive spots on their belly and back.

Amaze your friends Life in the pod

Wildlife Warriors The WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre is always full of fun and frolics during the school holidays when the Wildlife Warriors get together.

These nature explorers spend their time with lots of crafts and games and learning about the Moray Firth’s spectacular dolphins.

During the summer they decorated recycled boxes and added uncooked pasta to them to create rattling noisemakers and even went on a safari.

It’s a great opportunity for everyone to work together as a team, to make new friends and to experience nature.

To find out what the Wildlife Warriors will be up to in 2016 contact the WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre on 01343 820339.

We hope to see you there!

T

he WDC adoption orcas are part of a much bigger, highly sociable community of orcas known as the Northern Resident Community, which consists of around 260 whales.

This community is divided into three distinct groups, which we call clans. Each clan

is made up of orca pods that share a number of common calls. The biggest clan is A clan (and all of the adoption

KIRK ZUFELT

Zino’s petrel

Z

ino’s petrels are native to Madeira and one of the most endangered sea birds in Europe. They prefer to build their nests high up in the mountains, where you can hear their wailing calls at night.

Bryde’s whale

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he ‘tropical whale’, as they are sometimes known, lives in warmer waters near the equator. They have between 40 and 70 throat pleats that allow their mouths to expand when feeding on schooling fish and sometimes krill. Male Bryde’s whales can be up to a huge 15 metres long.

Flying fish

T Loggerhead sea turtle

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oggerheads are named for their very large heads, which support some exceptionally powerful jaws, capable of crunching through hard-shelled prey such as whelks and clams. Some turtles can weigh more than 450kg – about the same as a grand piano.

Factoid Dolphins have teeth but they don’t chew their food, they just bite and swallow orcas belong to this extended family), followed

by G clan and then R clan.

When the clans are

socialising, G clan orcas sound like braying donkeys and R clan whales sound like snorting pigs.

When the clans meet it looks and sounds like the orcas are having a big party with lots of spyhops, tail slaps and breaches.

The gatherings of all three clans is called a superpod, which can sometimes involve more than 100 orcas.

hese ama ing fish love to catch some air, leaping out of the water and soaring great distances to avoid predators lurking below the waves. There are more than 64 s ecies o ing fish around the world

Question time How big is a baby dolphin?

Asked by Esther Conlan, age 10.

The answer really depends on which species of dolphin we are talking about. Baby orcas can be two and a half metres long when born but baby Hector’s dolphins may be as small as 60-70cm. Baby bottlenoses are in between at up to 1.3 metres in length.

Winter 2015 SPLASH! 11

Catch up with

Dolphin Diaries

e

By Charli s p li il Ph

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his season has been really nice as e een able to get out and about more than usual, spotting dolphins over a wider area and out at sea too m delighted to re ort that e seen all the WDC adoption dolphins and they a ear to e thri ing e also hotogra hed dol hins who don t normally see, which is very exciting – they seem to be lining up in front of my camera to have their photos taken! Recording such an unexpected variety of dolphins has made this season er s ecial Each year, as the migratory salmon run comes to an end, dolphin ts activity around Chanonry Point star the er, e to dwindle his ear, how m shoals of mackerel and herring see particularly bountiful and have moved into the Inner Firth, close to Chanonr oint Dol hins are alread s hunting these nutritious, oil fish t quite a spectacular sight to see dol hins re ing on shoals o fish from below and gannets s simultaneously diving from the skie eeding on the same fish t is going to be a very interesting winter indeed

On the hunt for food

Cromarty Firth Fort George Chanonry Point Kessock Channel Inverness River Beauly 12 SPLASH! Winter 2015

River Ness

Kesslet

K

esslet has been making daily visits to Inverness harbour and marina in search o salmon e also regularly seen her close to Chanonry Point chasing shoals of tasty mackerel and

herring hese fish are replacing salmon here now, as the salmon migration has finished ometimes Kesslet is with her son Charlie and her riend coo or com an esslet looks in superb

condition e noticed that she does have some new scratches and marks on her body, which are probably a result of rough-and-tumble play with Charlie, and they will fade over the winter

Rainbow Mother and son on the move

I

have been able to keep a close eye on Rainbow and her young son, Indigo, as they have regularly visited Chanonry Point, alongside other dol hins, to catch fish They have also

popped up beside me time and time again while I have been out at sea near Cromart At one point I thought the two of them were following me around!

Rainbow looks in tip-top condition and

she appears happy and healthy, socialising with other mother-calf airs ndigo can o ten be seen in the thick of the action, leaping and breaching, and playing games with the other cal es

ou can listen to WDC s lison ordan talking a out our conser ation work in cotland and li e recordings o the dol hins themsel es bit.ly/BBCWDC

friends

Find out how your adopted whales and dolphins are getting on

Moonlight

Son Lunar loves to lark about

M

oonlight and her baby have been spotted with other dolphins further along the coast, e ond Cromart he are likely to be chasing shoals of mackerel and herring that pass through the area at this time of ear ha e seen much more o oonlight s older son, unar, in recent weeks He has een with a group of sub-adult dolphins charging around at Chanonr While on a field tri with he University of Aberdeen, I also saw unar enthusiasticall chasing salmon and la ing with his riends Fingers crossed that Moonlight and unar s ounger rother or sister will return to Chanonr er soon

Mischief

Putting on weight for winter

M

ischief has been eating lots o oil fish this autumn, getting blubbered-up for the winter no doubt! I have seen him and his pals, including undance, at Chanonr oint they tend to cruise through looking for salmon and then head away into the distance ha e also seen

Mischief several times while out on oats n one encounter he came rocketing past the back of the boat and ploughed straight into a shoal of mackerel, scattering fish e er where t was an incredi le sight to see such a large male dolphin moving with so much ower, s eed and determination

Sundance

Joins Mischief for fun

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Spirit

Always making friends

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pirit and her baby often visit Chanonry Point as part of the same mother-calf social group as Rainbow and ndigo irit is a eauti ul dolphin and a very attentive mother he ga e irth to her calf in 2014 and we

now have photographic evidence that she is a girl!

They both appear to be thri ing irit is one o the most sociable dolphins and is always a joy to watch as she interacts with many other dol hins Her wee girl seems to be following suit!

ha e seen undance every other day, sweeping through Chanonry with a mixed grou o dol hins he search for tasty salmon and then head o out to sea, no doubt looking or more fish ometimes his udd , Mischief, is in the group too and both these large males are piling on the

pounds to keep them warm in the cold winter months I also have a great ideo o undance at it l d with irit and her cal and Rainbow and Indigo all together at Cromart undance sur aced to breathe and Rainbow and Indigo surfaced right in ront o him

Winter 2015 SPLASH! 13

Orca Odysseys

By Helena Symonds & Paul Spong

W

e have new cameras which are helping us keep track of the adoption orcas as they travel along this beautiful coastline, looking or fish and spending time with other families.

Now we can watch orcas remotely as they visit places such as their special rubbing beaches. Here, the water is shallow and clear and orcas socialise, making sounds that aren’t heard at other times. We’ve watched, enthralled, as the orcas blow underwater bubbles, expel air from their lungs and sink to the bottom, skimming across the

pebbles, sometimes even pausing mid-rub to oat or a while We’ve had a wonderful summer, with visits from the clan amilies o imoom, Holl , Fife and Bend, as well as many R and G clan families. We’re looking forward to the days ahead as we, and the orcas, get ready for winter.

i

S Fi s

il

hil

F

ife’s family has been spotted almost daily this season.

We were worried when a researcher saw a fresh and painfullooking wound on Fern, one of Fife’s great-nieces or nephews. The wound looked almost identical to the one i e su ered ears ago s a youngster he got too close to a boat and was hurt. Like Fife, Fern’s wound has clear propeller marks across the dorsal fin, saddle atch and right side. Fife’s wounds healed well and we hope that Fern will recover too.

But ouch! The concern is that the orcas are getting too close to boats while thrill-seeking, or while trying to snag fish o lines i e was certainl a thrill-seeker when he was about Fern’s age.

14 SPLASH! Winter 2015

hing h

ily g

imoom was born in 1975 and she looks very well indeed. It’s hard to believe that her eldest son, Echo, often by her side, is now an adult and will soon be 26 years old.

Echo will stay with his mother for life – Simoom, like all matriarchs (head female), is at the heart of the family. Orcas are unique in that both males and females

n n n

n

B

end and her first baby continue to look happy and healthy. Bend’s family is well known for staying put and being attentive hosts during the summer season. This year, though, they have surprised us all by going on

lly

y in h

H

olly and her family were an internet sensation last year when the were filmed beach rubbing by some very excited whale watchers standing on the shore. This year, they seem content to kee a lower rofile and let od

stay with their mothers and immediate family forever.

Simoom has recently welcomed another adult male and close relative, Kaikash, to her growing family and he has been seen travelling with them constantly. Kaikash’s brother, Plumper, died last year, leaving Kaikash as the only remaining member of amil his

an adventure of their own. They journeyed out of Johnstone Strait and entirely beyond their normal range, into a deep inlet where they stayed for a few days. What were they up to?

On their return, they met Holly’s family and they were all oddly quiet.

The story of Bend’s adventure was perhaps put aside for just the right moment to share. mates and other families shine instead n ugust, Holl ga e us a treat by swimming right in front of Orcalab, accompanied by Ripple and Bend’s family. We watched their beautiful blows and tall fins in the right sunlight and we felt a strong sense of their togetherness. They have since maintained a fairly continuous presence here and also enjoyed the company of Bend and Simoom’s families.

Humpback Headlines

By Regina Asmutis-Silvia

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his year’s whale watch season was a busy one for the WDC team. We are now catching up on identifying humpback whales, and of course preparing for the next season.

This year more than 275 known individual humpback whales were seen, and another 55 whales were o ser ed ut not et identified t was also a busy nursery year, with more than 70 mother-and-calf pairs to keep track of.

Each year I enjoy hearing our students get e cited a out their first sightings of the well-known

humpbacks, including the ado tion whales s the season continues they get to know the personalities of all of the new calves. These humpbacks have been such a large part of my life for so long that I take joy in the positive impact they have on the next generation of whale conservationists.

l

nging

ls i h h gi

i nigh n

P

sh

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epper didn’t make an appearance until mid-July but it was definitel worth the wait when she returned with a new calf. Not only did we see Pepper and her new baby, but also her new grand-calf, as

i nigh s s n

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y Pepper’s older daughter, Habenero, returned with a calf of her own. One of the most amazing things our students will witness is what we call ‘close approach’ behaviour, when a whale intentionally swims over to check out

the boat. It does not happen very often, and many of our students never get to see it. The lucky few that were out on ugust, there ore, had a treat, when Pepper’s new calf swam over and took a look at them.

is

idnight has a reputation for being shy and elusive, so we were thrilled that three of our students were able to see her this year, although only one was lucky enough to watch her surface feed. Midnight is not a kick feeder and instead prefers to blow u les to corral her fish he also likes to dine alone, so we were surprised to see her hanging out with Coral, Erosion and swan this season We didn t s ot any of her previous calves but we suspect she may take them to Canadian waters, where they perhaps prefer to spend their summers when they are on their own.

i n s

R

i

fishing

e ection is usuall one o the first whales we see each season, but this year it was her 2014 calf who showed u first e ection is a kick eeder, a technique that seems to be unique to this population of humpback whales. When they eed on sand lance fish, some o the whales will kick the water surface once or twice to distur the fish, and then encircle them with bubbles before gulping down a mouthful. e ection has added her own s in, or rather head bob, to this technique, and often lifts her head out of the water before she kicks. ll our students saw e ection in action

T

his year’s students were not only treated to many sightings of Salt, they were able to meet members of her family, including her son Brine, her daughter Thalassa, her calf Sanchal and several of her grand-calves. Salt is not a kick feeder – she likes to corral her fish using onl bubbles, whereas her grandchildren seem to have perfected the more ‘modern’ technique of kick feeding. Salt often prefers the company of other females when she is pregnant, and we did see her several times with Freckles. But we also saw her hanging out with Putter, an adult male, so we will have to wait until next spring to find out whether Salt is pregnant or not.

Countdown to Christmas Have you made your Christmas list yet? We have plenty of fantastic gifts in the WDC shop. There is something for everybody! Here are just a few ideas...

MOOD NECKLACE Show your emotions in style

£3.50

SCRATCH AND SKETCH Let your creative side loose

WOODEN DOLPHIN

£11.50

Beautifully carved work of art

BLUE SHARK

£6.90

PHONESCOPE Take amazing close-up photos

£7.99

Cuddle up to this toothy companion

£15.25

Shop now at whales.org/shop or call 01343 820339 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm) – with adult permission first of course!

Every penny you spend helps us protect whales and dolphins around the world.

Editor Alison Wood with invaluable help from Julia Thoms SPLASH! is sent to all junior whale and dolphin supporters by WDC Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 1LJ Registered Charity No. 1014705 Tel 01249 449500 Email splash@whales.org Patrons John Craven, Monty Halls, Miranda Krestovnikoff, Michaela Strachan Published for WDC by Think Editor Alec Mackenzie Design Dominic Scott Sub Editors Andrew Littlefield and Sian Campbell Publisher John Innes Cover image Charlie Phillips Cartoons Glen McBeth and others Think, Suite 2.3, Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA. Tel 0141 375 0504 www.thinkpublishing.co.uk WDC cannot guarantee the return of unsolicited articles, photographs etc. Reproduction of articles is not permitted without approval. Opinions expressed in SPLASH! do not necessarily reflect those of WDC. COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS: SPLASH! competitions are open to residents of the British Isles, Eire and the Channel Islands, except employees of WDC, Think and their families, or any associated companies.

SPLASH! will not share your personal details with third parties. Only one competition entry per person. Winners will be the first correct entries drawn after the closing dates. The editor’s decision is final. Entrants to SPLASH! competitions must be 14 or under. No purchase necessary. No responsibility can be taken for entries lost or damaged in transit. SPLASH! will not enter into any correspondence. Winners will be notified and their names and addresses available on request. No cash alternatives will be offered. The winner may be required to partake in media activity relating to the competition. Congratulations to the following winner from last issue – Harriet Moore, who wins a weekend trip for the family to the National Space Centre. Winners are picked at random from all correct entries. Remember to tell us what you think about SPLASH! by emailing splash@whales.org

16 SPLASH! Winter 2015