Over a thousand common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) jumped and splashed together near the coast of Cannery Row in California's Monterey Bay in the week leading up to Labor Day.
A sight for the eyes, this "superpod" of dolphins — made up of smaller pods or groups that typically stick together — were using teamwork to corral billions of baitfish.
This activity isn't uncommon, Patrick Webster, the social media content creator for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said in a statement. In fact, it happens year after year. [Deep Divers: A Gallery of Dolphins]
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"However, it is fairly rare to see them this close to shore and so readily observable by people," he said. Webster took a video of the dolphin superpod off the coast of Point Pinos in Pacific Grove, California (near the bottom-most end of the bay).
In the video, only a couple hundred dolphins are visible, though the entire group numbered over a thousand, Webster said. (The video is also slowed down to half the actual speed.) A single pod typically comprises dozens of individual dolphins that are often related, he added.
"It's a very special sighting nearshore of one of the ocean's magical moments often hidden away from human observation," Webster said. "But to the dolphins, it was probably just another Monday."
Originally published on Live Science.
