Dolphins and other
sea life
The above 2 photos are of dugongs, a
relative of the manatee. Rare and protected,
we couldn't get too close because we didn't
want to disturb them. We saw them from a
boat trip we took out on the bay.
The photos of the
dolphins were taken
at Monkey Mia.
These Indo-Pacific
dolphins are wild,
but come to shore
every morning 3
times for a little
feed. Only the
females come in to
eat, and they are
only fed once they
reach a certain age.
"Nikki", the dolphin
in the second
picture is one of the
most photographed
in Australia. She
seems to be the
matriarch of the
group and is on
most of the dolphin
post cards you buy
here in WA. We
were able to wade
in just past our
ankles and the
dolphins swam right
in front of us,
rolling on their sides
to get a good look at
all of us "silly
humans!"
Marisa watches a
dolphin as it comes
in to check her out!
The volunteers here
all know the
dolphins by dorsal
fin markings.
There was a pond with sharks in it at the marine
park we went to. Most of them were Lemon
Sharks. Shark Bay got it's name from the large
number and variety of sharks that inhabit the
waters. There are many different types including
Tiger Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Nervous Sharks,
And Hammer Heads, to name a few. Brian loved
watching them get fed! The marine biologist
assured us that they really aren't dangerous, but I
still don't want to get too close!
Lots of Pelicans
were around
Monkey Mia. They
had to be fed there
own bucket of fish
so as not to steal
from the dolphins
when they got theirs!
This was a small sea
turtle that was
hanging out by the
boat dock when we
got off our boat
tour.
This was a very
large sea turtle
Brian and Marisa
were lucky enough
to get up close and
personal with while
snorkelling off the
beach at Monkey
Mia.
These cute little guys
are baby Loggerhead
turtles. At the marine
park, they are kept in
this "nursery" until
they are able to be
released into the wild.