They call these dolphins \u201ccosmopolitan\u201d for a reason.<\/p>\n
Boaters and kayakers are being treated this summer to up-close and personal views of bottlenose dolphins playing in the shadows of the Big Apple skyline \u2014 a rare sight experts say could soon become more common.<\/p>\n
Last week, a pod of roughly 20 of the mammals \u2014 also known as \u201ccosmopolitan\u201d members of the Delphinidae species because they can be found in temperate estuaries throughout the globe \u2014 put on a once-in-a-lifetime acrobatic show for thrilled Staten Island Ferry riders as the ship closed in on the island\u2019s Upper Bay shoreline.<\/p>\n
Frolicking bottlenose dolphins is definitely not a sight that is usually seen in New York Harbor, experts said. Chris St. Lawrence<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was amazing! I saw them breaching and just thought, \u2018Oh my God!\u2019 \u201d said Nicole Shaw, a deckhand for the ferry <\/a>who has worked in Big Apple waters for a decade.<\/p>\n \u201cI ran over and started recording, and it just got better as I went along,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen bottlenose in here like that. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely not a sight we normally see in New York Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n While dolphins are not unheard of in New York City waters \u2014 like the popular short-beaked pair seen frolicking in the East River <\/a>last winter \u2014 sightings of bottlenoses are considered rare, and they haven\u2019t traversed to the Big Apple in strong numbers until recently, experts said.<\/p>\n Their growing appearances could be due to a combination of cleaner waters and warming temperatures, according to Chris St. Lawrence of Gotham Whale, a south Brooklyn marine research center.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a twofold thing \u2014 it\u2019s showing that our ecosystems are changing, but it\u2019s also showing that these animals are able to find places where they can thrive,\u201d St. Lawrence said. \u201cNew York City has gone through amazing changes over the last few decades, where our waters are cleaning up, we\u2019re seeing our big fish returning.<\/p>\n One of the hot spots for viewing the dolphins is between Governors and Ellis islands, according to kayakers. Marie Pohl\/NY Post<\/p>\n A pod of at least 20 dolphins was seen near Staten Island earlier this month. Chris St. Lawrence<\/p>\n \u201cThose dolphins that we\u2019re seeing on the ocean side, maybe following those bait fish up into the harbor, and that\u2019s what\u2019s able to keep them healthy and happy and sticking around. It\u2019s rare to see them in the harbor, but it\u2019s expected\u201d given the recent changes.<\/p>\n Gotham Whale received verbal reports of bottlenose dolphins sporadically throughout July but then got five reports containing photo evidence in the past two weeks.<\/p>\n One of those sightings was conveyed by Eva\u00a0Rivlin of the New York City Water Trail Association, who happened upon a lone bottlenose Saturday while kayaking in the Hudson River with friends.<\/a><\/p>\n A group of kayakers about a mile north of her\u2019s spotted the mammal first and then texted their fellow nature enthusiasts to keep their eyes peeled for it.<\/p>\n Bottlenose dolphins were already known as \u201ccosmopolitan\u201d because they can be found around the globe \u2014 but their New York City sighting has given new meaning to the term. Chris St. Lawrence<\/p>\n \u201cWe were moving slowly, looking for fins, and sure enough, we saw a dorsal fin maybe 200 yards north of us, recalled Rivlin, who spends at least two days per week paddling on the river. \u201cI was lucky enough to catch it a couple <\/a>of times before it passed us.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my first time actually seeing one in the Hudson,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen them down by Breezy Point before. It\u2019s incredibly special.\u201d<\/p>\n Numerous other reports came from Brooklyn Bridge Park, where two bottlenoses have been making themselves known to kayakers in the harbor.<\/p>\n The sightings are most popular between Governors and Ellis islands.<\/p>\n \u201cI see them regularly in Florida kayaking, but I\u2019m out here every day sailing in the harbor, and this is only the second time in eight years I\u2019ve seen them in the harbor,\u201d said sailboat Capt. Ian Graham, 40, who, with his brother, runs the organization Brooklyn Sail.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were just sailing along, and I pointed them out to the group. I saw them ahead,\u201d he said. \u201cThere weren\u2019t many other boats around, and we\u2019re pretty quiet because we were sailing. And so they came right up next to the boat, and I took a little video. They look like they\u2019re happy and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t