MADEIRA: Mammals

There are no native terrestrial mammals on Madeira apart from five bat species, none of which were seen on our trip.  The only mammals we saw were those that lived in the sea...spotted, bottlenose and common dolphins.  The first two species I'd seen before, but it was the first time I had seen common dolphins.  We went on four boat trips and saw dolphins on all but one of them (the other one though was a glass bottomed boat so I saw plenty of life beneath the waves!).  The common dolphins were seen from the bow of the ship the Santa Maria - a replica of a ship used by Christopher Colubus and by far the best for watching wildlife!

And the great ship herself, the Santa Maria...