Hundreds of dolphins were sighted in several locations off the coast of Oaxaca on multiple occasions this week.

It is believed that the pods of dolphins have decided to splash around near popular tourist destinations like Huatulco and Puerto Escondido due to the lack of tourists and other people in or on the water thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fishermen from the Manialtepec Lagoon first reported seeing dolphins on Tuesday, and subsequent reports popped up in neighboring Puerto Escondido, and even as far east as Cacaluta and other bays in Huatulco, informally billed as the “Cancún of Oaxaca.”

The phenomenon has captured the attention of inhabitants of the region and internet users alike. The latter have enjoyed videos posted to social media showing large pods of the splashing mammals.

Most viewers agree that the majority of the animals appear to be spinner dolphins, which perform their acrobatic namesake when they leap from the surface.

Dolphins aren’t the only members of the animal kingdom to start nosing their way back into territory left behind by humans during the pandemic.

Just a few weeks into the quarantine, crocodiles that normally hide out from humans in the waters of Oaxaca’s La Ventanilla Lagoon were spotted roaming the beach like they owned the place.

And in April residents in Acapulco observed bioluminescent plankton painting the waves of the city’s main bay electric blue at night.

Oaxaca is Mexico’s most biodiverse state and an important nesting destination for all but one of the world’s sea turtle species. Researchers have identified over 8,400 varieties of plants and 1,431 species of vertebrates.

Source: La Opción (sp)