Wild Indo-pacific humpback dolphins were sighted at Lazarus Island on Feb. 16, 2020.
3 wild dolphins spotted at Lazarus Island on Feb.16
In a Facebook post by Zen freediving, they shared that their leisure divers who were out for a training session at Lazarus Island on Feb. 16 were very lucky to get a chance to see three wild Indo-pacific humpback dolphins.
Lazarus Island is part of Singapore's cluster of Southern Islands, and is a 15 minutes' walk from St. John's Island.
Photo by Elliot Drake
According to wildsingapore, an online resource on Singaporean biodiversity, this species of dolphin can grow up to 2.8 metres long and is sometimes known as 'pink dolphins'.
Photo by Elliot Drake
Michelle Ooi, an instructor at Zen freediving, told Mothership this is the first time she has seen the wild dolphins at Lazarus island, despite visiting the area about once every month for five years.
In videos taken yesterday (Feb. 16) by Zaw Than, the wild dolphins were seen surfacing and even jumping out of the water.
[video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/02/two-dolphins-surfacing.mp4"][/video]
[video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/02/dolphin-jumping.mp4"][/video]
[video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/02/many-dolphins-surfacing.mp4"][/video]
According to Ooi, her team has spotted sea turtles and different kinds of fish, such as pilot fish and remoras (a type of fish that latches on to dolphins, sharks, whales and sea turtles).
This is not the first time wild dolphins have been spotted in Singapore, as they are multiple sightings of them in a year.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is listed as 'vulnerable'.
The greatest threats to the species is getting caught in nets laid out by the fishing industry and habitat destruction.
You can check out the full post here:
Related stories:
Top photos by Elliot Drake