A group of thousands of dolphins were spotted in San Diego. The Los Angeles Times reported that passengers aboard a Hornblower Cruise boat saw the "super mega-pod" of dolphins that were more than seven miles long and five miles wide.
The captain of the boat, Joe Dutra said to NBC 7, "When you see something that is honestly truly beyond belief."
Dutra said to the news station that he estimated a whopping 100,000 dolphins were swimming in the area.
"They were coming from all directions, you could see them from as far as the eye can see," he said. "I've seen a lot of stuff out here ... but this is the biggest I've ever seen, ever."
Seeing such a large group of dolphins is a really rare event that is rarely seen. Dave Anderson who is the captain of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari said that during the decades he's spent on a boat encountering a pod like this is extremely are.
"It's one of those things you can hope for it, but you can't plan for it," he said to The LA Times. "It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of beautiful and interesting things" on the water.
Dutra said according to MSN that the dolphins were coming in all directions. "You could see them from as far as the eye can see," he said. "I've seen a lot of stuff out here... but this is the biggest I've ever seen, ever."
Sarah Wilkin who is a Marine Mammal expert said to MSN that the dolphin pod might be there because there is a lot of food in the area including squid, herring and sardines.
"They're attracted to kind of the same thing, they might wind up in the same place," she said to MSN. She added that dolphins typically travel in groups of 200 or smaller but these "super-pods" are not impossible and heard of though rarely seen.
"They're definitely social animals, they stick together in small groups," she said to MSN. "But sometimes, the schools come together."
Dutra added, "You had to be there to experience it. It was truly spectacular."
Understanddolphins.tripod.com says that dolphin pods give way for a cooperative social way of life and increases survival of dolphins.
"The pod uses both acoustic and non-acoustic means of communication. Cooperation and forming alliances are ways in which the more complex mammals attempt to manipulate their social environment," said the website. "Such alliances require sophisticated means of communication in order to manage relationships. Dolphins do this by forming fluid, temporary groups called "pods", typically consisting of 2-15 animals. Dolphins are very social creatures and appear to need each other while hunting, defending themselves and their pods, and mating."
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