Video: Thousands of long-beaked dolphins form ‘megapod’ in California
Wildlife videographer Evan Brodsky was aboard a whale watching tour in California’s Monterey Bay on Sept. 7 when he witnessed thousands of dolphins coming together to form a “megapod.” He was able to capture up-close video showing individual dolphins breaching (jumping out of the water) and was also able to zoom out far enough to show the shocking quantity and enormous area they covered.
He wrote in a post on Instagram, “Have you ever seen thousands of dolphins come together and form a mega pod?
“On this day we saw thousands and thousands of Long Beaked Common Dolphins spread out for miles! Literally every splash you see is a Dolphin 🐬
“You just never know what kind of amazing sights you’re going to see when hopping on a boat #GetOnABoat.
“Filmed aboard @monterey_bay_whale_watch.”
Dolphins are social mammals that rely on other dolphins in their pods to survive. Pods are similar to groups other mammals form like herds, gangs (meerkats), or flocks. In their pod, dolphins protect each other from predators, mate, hunt and play, according to Marine Sanctuary. Living in pods also allows them to sleep with half of their brain.
Pod size typically ranges from 2-30 dolphins, but for short amounts of time, “superpods” or “megapods” can form like the one in Brodsky’s video, per nonprofit organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
Megapods occur when prey is abnormally plentiful in one particular area, and after the hunt is done, the dolphins return to their original pods.
