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A pod of dolphins spent the day in Gloucester Harbor

Have you ever unexpectedly spotted anything in the sea?

A fishing boat in Gloucester Harbor. Lane Turner/Globe staff, file

By Kristi Palma

1 minute to read

Visitors and residents of Gloucester enjoyed a rare treat on Monday when a pod of dolphins swam into the harbor and hung out for the day.

Gloucester resident Chris Langathianos grabbed his GoPro and captured video of the mammals, which turned out to be Atlantic white-sided dolphins.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins, typically found off the coast of North Carolina to Maine, are fast swimming and often travel in social groups, according to NOAA Fisheries. They are 8 to 9 feet in length, weigh 360 to 505 pounds, and are named after the yellowish-tan streak found on their sides.

“They came within probably 10 yards of the finger,” Langathianos told NBC10 Boston. “Definitely, dolphins are a rarity to see here in the marina.”

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Langathianos spotted the dolphins at around 10 a.m. and after that experts monitored four to six of the creatures throughout the day before they exited the area at around sunset, according to the report.

@nbc10boston

Check out this video of dolphins surfacing in Gloucester Harbor, much closer to shore than they usually go.

♬ original sound – NBC10 Boston

“These animals might have been chasing prey, which could be early runs of mackerel or herring,” Charles “Stormy” Mayo, a senior scientist at the Center for Coastal Studies, told NBC10 Boston.

“To be able to, in early April, be sipping our coffee and seeing it right here was pretty special,” Langathianos said.

Have you ever unexpectedly spotted anything in the sea? If so, where were you and what did you see?

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Kristi Palma

Travel writer

 

Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.

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