Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins spotted at Injambakkam
The Hindu
Members of TREE Foundation, a sea turtles conservation organisation, spotted around 30-40 dolphins away from the coast in front of VGP Golden Beach
A group of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins were spotted off the Injambakkam coast by members of the TREE Foundation, a sea turtles conservation organisation, on Tuesday.
Supraja Dharini, founder, TREE Foundation, said initially around 30 to 40 dolphins were spotted 500 m away from the coast in front of VGP Golden Beach as they were milling, feeding and socialising. Ms. Dharini, along with a team, reached the spot after the foundation’s Sea Turtle Protection Force member T.A. Pugalarasan saw the dolphins around 9.30 a.m. They were all adults and sub-adults with one young of the year, she said in a press release.
“We were able to observe the different colouration on their body. Each dolphin has a unique coloration on their body and a dorsal fin. The shades of pink and grey are different for each dolphin,” Ms. Dharini said. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are at risk from factors such as entanglement in fishing nets, pollution and the depletion of fish stocks. Mangrove habitat degradation may also present a threat to this species, the release said.