Not all dolphins are alike. While most of us are accustomed to seeing the adorable grey bottlenosed dolphin, there are many different types of dolphins in the sea. For example, did you know there was a dolphin known as the skunk dolphin? Don’t worry, I didn’t know either. However, one tourist was lucky enough to encounter one and capture incredible footage of it as well.

Tourist Captures Footage Of Skunk Dolphin

PEOPLE shared more details surrounding this surprising encounter. The tourist was Rich Brand, a 49-year-old who was enjoying his time off the coast of Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands. It was there that he spotted this elusive skunk dolphin.

Unsurprisingly, this dolphin got its name because of its color. It has black and white markings resembling those of some animals, such as a skunk. However, others also refer to it as the panda dolphin. While those names are endearing, the official name of this dolphin species is the Commerson’s dolphin.

Brand was able to capture footage of these elusive creatures; footage that clearly displayed their unique markings. According to his reports, the dolphins showed no fear towards humans. Instead, they swam nearby and played with one another for about half an hour.

More About The Elusive Skunk Dolphin

Oceanwide Expeditions shared some interesting facts about this dolphin. Despite its many nicknames, such as skunk dolphin or panda dolphin, the Commerson’s dolphin was “named after the French naturalist who discovered it.”

They are nearly 5 feet long and weigh around 77 pounds. Additionally, they feast upon fish, squid, crustaceans, and algae. Although they use echolocation like other dolphin species, their eating habits do differ slightly. Commerson’s dolphins hunt at night. Also, they “eat about 10% of their body weight every day.” The reason they consume more than the average dolphin is that “their metabolic rate is two to three times greater than that of other species.”

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