Amazing Pictures Show Dolphins, Blue Marlin And Gannets Feasting On Sardines During Annual Migration Of Millions Of Fish
It is a visual spectacle under the sea which is a joy to behold – for everyone apart from the sardines. These spectacular images capture dolphins, gannets and blue marlin take advantage of the annual ‘Sardine Run’, when millions of fish migrate from the southern tip of South Africa north to warmer waters in the summer. The presence of the fish draws huge numbers of predators to feast on the underwater buffet, which sees dolphins ‘herd’ the sardines into smaller families, known as ‘bait balls’.
In terms of biomass the run is equal to east Africa’s world-famous great wildebeest stampede, which sees over two million of the animals head from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya in search of more verdant pastures. The shoal can be nine miles long, 130 feet deep and two miles wide – so big that it can be seen from space.
A dolphin dives into a bait ball of sardines in Mdumbi, South Africa during the annual ‘Sardine Run’ migration. (Photo by Daniel Botelho/Barcroft/The Daily Mail) Continue reading »
