Dolphins of Hervey Bay
This page features information about some of the dolphins that we see on our dolphin tours. We also have in our Junior Rangers section, dolphin anatomy section. For photos of dolphins, be sure to check out our gallery.
Jump to;
- Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins
- Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins
- Indo-pacific Humpback Dolphins
- Common Dolphins
Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins (Aduncas)
Inshore bottle nose are permanent residents of the Hervey bay, Fraser island and the Great Sandy Straits.
Inshore bottlenose dolphins grow to approximately 2.8 metres in length and are generally observed in pods of up to 12 animals .they have favourite feeding and socialising areas spread out over large territories .Single sub adults are often observed through out the bay feeding most of the time and showing little interest in the boats.
Food for inshore bottlenose varies within the seasons , when the bait fish are abundant in the middle of the bay (generally in winter) they are observed feeding out wide of the island ,during the summer months the inshore bottlenose dolphin tend to frequent the banks and foreshores of the islands. Inshore bottlenose are very resourceful and can use their echolocation to dig up fish and other prey in the sand. On a number of occasions they have been observed tossing large shells on the surface eventually breaking free the large mollusc inside.
Pods of inshore dolphins close to home recognise our boat and playfully ride the bow or stern wave. Pods further out in the bay are shy and tend to keep their distance.
Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus)
Offshore bottlenose dolphins are the larger cousins that visit the bay in the winter months. The cold nutrient rich waters in winter provide many baitfish that attract the offshore bottlenose into the bay .Yellow tail, herring and slimy mackerel are abundant on the reefs of the bay and the dolphins will cover vast distances to find them.
These large and robust dolphins are the speedsters of the sea and never fail to put on a show. bow and stern riding are a specialty of these dolphins, they are very interactive and love the boat and peoples attention.
Hervey bay appears to be an important area for mother and calf offshore bottlenose dolphins as their is a high proportion of mothers and calves when the bait fish are most abundant.
During the warmer months the larger bait fish disappear and the offshore dolphins tend to head to deeper waters off Frazer island.
Indo-pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa Chinesis)
Sousa dolphins is a common local name for these shy and reserved dolphin. Other people call them estuary or Mary river dolphins due to their tendency to frequent the shallow rivers and estuaries.
Indo –pacific humpback dolphins grow to 2.8 metres in length similar to that of inshore bottle nose dolphins, they are in fact often seen socialising and feeding together as they share similar territories. Sousa dolphins do not share looks of the bottlenose, having a much shorter and more triangular dorsal fin, their beak is longer, their pectoral fins rounded and they have a smaller eye but a larger melon. Colours range from dark brown to pale grey and some almost albino in the northern parts of Fraser island.
One less vertebrae in the neck allows these dolphins to turn their heads at greater angles for capturing fish. Sousa dolphins are not afraid of shallow or murky water, they have excellent eco location and target fish in the most turbid water.
Sousa dolphins are shy of boats and do not bow ride or visit vessels.
They can be as dynamic as any of the dolphins, leaping and somersaulting around, however they tend to do it amongst themselves but not for us humans as would sometimes be the case with other dolphins.
Strongly territorial and family orientated means these dolphins are under increased pressure in certain areas.
Common Dolphins
Common dolphins are contrary to their name not commonly seen in the bay, preferring deeper offshore waters. Usually they will be in the northern part of the bay, not venturing over the shallow banks of the Great Sandy Straits. When the common dolphins do visit they tend to be in large nursery pods (high number of mums and calves) common by name but not by nature these dolphins have striking hour glass patterns on their bodies. Common dolphins also love to bow and stern ride and its not uncommon to have dozens on the bow at any one stage.
