Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Fundraising
  • Green Whale
  • Kids blogs
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Sperm whales

We’re pushing governments for action for our climate heroes – whales

The climate crisis is the greatest threat to all life on Earth. But there is...
Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
Narwhal with beluga whales

Unusual Whale Adoptions

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
North Atlantic right whale Porcia and her calf.

Critically Endangered Right Whale Babies Spotted

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...

Battle Scars…

Life can be rough at this time of year as an adult male dolphin – territories and females to defend, disputes to settle and also keeping some of the young upstart “lads” firmly in their place…it’s all go. As you can see in the composite photo below, both of the big male Bottlenose dolphins that you can adopt with us at WDC that I have seen in the last few days have been having a busy summer. Mischief, in the top section of the photo has picked up some brand new “rake marks” on his dorsal fin plus some along his back and the same goes for Sundance, the dolphin lower in the picture and he has some impressive new rakes on his body too. This isn’t unusual and in Bottlenose dolphin society this is all part of everyday life – Bottlenoses can fight, sometimes just a bit of rough and tumble (play-fighting) but at other times it gets really serious and their impressive array of teeth that are all the same size and shape come into use, often to dramatic effect like these rakes. They will eventually fade and may even get more new ones on top creating many layers that you can sometimes see in certain light conditions. Every scratch, every score, every bite mark tells a story, an encounter – a moment in time in the amazing world of a wild, free dolphin- the way that they all should be.

About Charlie Phillips

Field officer - Adopt a Dolphin