27/05/2022
Dolphin facts...
Did you know?
That right in our backyard, between Cebu and Negros, lies the LARGEST Marine Protected Area in the country? It's called the TAÑON STRAIT, and it's got some mind blowing facts:
Tañon Strait Protected Seascape is the largest marine protected area in the Philippines, and the third largest park, nearly as extensive as the two largest terrestrial natural parks in the Northern Sierra Madre and Samar Island which protect the Philippine Eagle and other wonders. Tañon Strait is their marine counterpart, with an area of 5,182 km2, more than three times the area of the Tubbataha National Park.
The Strait is extremely narrow (27 km), long (160 km) and deep (500 m). At its widest, the Strait is only 27 km, and narrowest near the south at a mere 5 km. The deep waters which attract dolphins, whales, sharks and manta rays extend down from the surface a distance roughly half a kilometer. In Cebu City, this is equivalent to a jeepney ride between the Basilica del Santo Nino and Fort San Pedro.
Tañon Strait was declared a protected seascape in 1998, due to its diverse marine habitat — 26 species of mangroves, seven species of seagrass and 18,830 hectares of coral reef representing 15 families — act as nurseries and critical feeding grounds for young marine life. Additionally, researchers have identified 70 species of fish, 20 species of crustaceans and many unique marine mammals in the area, like dugongs and dwarf s***m whales — and 14 species of dolphins and whales out of the 27 species found in the entire Philippines area in the Tañon Strait.
An estimated 3,500 Spinner Dolphins, 670 Dwarf S***m Whales, 640 Spotted Dolphins, along with countless Giant Diamond-Backed Squid and Pygmy Killer Whales call the Tañon Strait their home.
