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March 3, 2009

Playa Del Ingles, La Gomera, Canary Islands

Long exposures of the surf breaking on rocks at Playa Del Ingles, La Gomera, Canary Islands

March 2, 2009

Short-finned pilot whales off the coast of La Gomera, Canary Islands

Dorsal fins of Short-finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus, off the coast of La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, from whalewatching boat 'Tina'.

Pilot whales have been in the news a bit this week, because of the strandings off Tasmanian.

All dolphins are whales - but not all whales are dolphins. And pilot whales are actually very large dolphins, at up to 3.5 - 6.5m long and up to 4 tonnes in weight. They can dive down hundreds of metres, where they catch squid and fish. They've very social animals, towards each other that is, but not terribly interactive with humans. So it was a pleasure to hang out beside this pod for a few minutes while they lay on the surface and dallied...

Short-finned pilot whale blowing, Globicephala macrorhynchus

Dorsal fins of Short-finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus, off the coast of La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, from whalewatching boat 'Tina'.

Pilot whales have been in the news a bit this week, because of the strandings off Tasmanian.

All dolphins are whales - but not all whales are dolphins. And pilot whales are actually very large dolphins, at up to 3.5 - 6.5m long and up to 4 tonnes in weight. They can dive down hundreds of metres, where they catch squid and fish. They've very social animals, towards each other that is, but not terribly interactive with humans. So it was a pleasure to hang out beside this pod for a few minutes while they lay on the surface and dallied...