{"id":375321,"date":"2025-08-26T16:01:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/375321\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T16:01:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:01:13","slug":"drone-spots-more-than-1000-ghost-like-animals-off-mexican-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/375321\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone spots more than 1,000 “ghost-like” animals off Mexican coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wildlife lovers in Mexico had a \u201cfar from ordinary\u201d day when they spotted an enormous pod of Risso’s dolphins\u00a0(Grampus griseus) on their last day of expedition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A whale watching group had seen a small pod of cetaceans off the coast of Cabo San Lucas but weren\u2019t exactly sure what species they were.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were shy and diving for long periods, keeping their distance,\u201d says\u00a0Niklas Manger<\/a>, operations manager at\u00a0Apex Ocean Divers<\/a>. After an hour of watching and waiting, they managed to catch them on camera using their drone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo our surprise, the animals turned out to be Risso\u2019s dolphins<\/a>, socialising in a tightly knit group,\u201d Manger says. These dolphins can dive hundreds of metres deep looking for food and it\u2019s rare for them to be spotted close to shore. \u201cIt was a true gift of the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

These cetaceans are “a true ghost-like dolphin\u201d with scars all over their grey bodies, says Manger on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cTheir pale, scratched up skin, telling hundreds of deep-sea stories, from playful sparring to battles with\u00a0squid<\/a>: their favourite prey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“After watching the pod for a while, the group realised that these dolphins weren\u2019t the only ones in the water with them. \u201cThe ocean surface came alive with movement,\u201d he says. \u201cSpouts and dorsal fins dotted the horizon in every direction, with small groups surfacing and diving in unison.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were far too many to count but Manger thinks there were more than one thousand Risso\u2019s dolphins in the water \u2013 it\u2019s incredibly rare to see so many together. “The sheer scale of the pod, moving together in perfect harmony, made it a truly magical day on the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0IUCN\u2019s Red List<\/a>\u00a0categorises Risso\u2019s dolphins as a species of Least Concern but Manger stresses that they still need protection. “Risso\u2019s dolphins face growing pressures from bycatch, plastic pollution, and disturbance from vessels,\u201d he says. “Witnessing such a vast, peaceful gathering was a reminder of both their resilience and the fragility of their ocean home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Image and video credit: Credit: Niklas Manger (@nik_oceanlife<\/a>), Apex Ocean Divers<\/p>\n

More amazing wildlife stories from around the world<\/strong><\/p>\n