This Saturday, February 12, the sailors and sailors of the port of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin attended a spectacle of great beauty. A bottlenose dolphin jumped out of the water and jumped several meters high.
It is not uncommon for dolphins to invite themselves into the middle of this Norman harbour. But seeing them in the middle of a jump is much less common. However, this weekend, Gérard Mauger, Vice-President of the Cetacean Study Group in Cotentin, witnessed a majestic scene: the leap of a bottlenose dolphin aged 5 to 8 years. An impressive jump of almost 4 meters high that aroused the admiration of the navigator and passers-by strolling along the quay.
West France shared this beautiful photo to the delight of marine lovers:
“It’s an exceptional image, I’ve been very lucky. This is the icing on the cake of my observations. This jump can mean several things: curiosity, but also a way to assert your strength against the other members of the group. It is also a way to observe the environment, to look for food. Or just to have fun.†
Gérard Mauger, interviewed by West France
Note that there would be about 500 cetaceans in the Channel. And if they are so numerous, it is because they find food there easily and are sheltered from the wind. They also like to play in the waves of boats.
How not to jump for joy for this jump?