In a rare and exciting sight for New York City wildlife enthusiasts, dolphins have been seen swimming freely in the East River during the past two days.
Those who are passionate about marine life were able to observe the two slippery swimmers on Friday and Saturday. They were seen swimming up and down the waterway that is located close to the Upper East Side and along the FDR Drive.
These uncommon visitors to the riparian area are short-beaked common dolphins, which are distinct from the bottlenose dolphins that are frequently seen at beaches along the Atlantic coast.
According to films that were uploaded on X, the two individuals were observed wading on Valentine’s Day close to 96th Street, which is located between Manhattan and Mill Rock.
The pair of common dolphins in the East River are continuing today off 96th St in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/o7kaazPqpi
— ᴄʜʀɪs 🐳 (@chrisstIawrence) February 15, 2025
It has been speculated by a few specialists that it might be a mother and her young.
One of the common dolphins is seen in the video performing a smooth leap out of the water against the backdrop of a landscape consisting of concrete and steel infrastructure.
It is only when bottlenose dolphins have migrated south for the winter that common dolphins are observed in the waterways of the city, according to experts. Common dolphins are present in our region throughout the entire year and typically dwell off-shore.
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There is a possibility that a dolphin will make an appearance in the East, Hudson, or Bronx rivers on occasion; however, the experts are unable to determine the actual objective of the excursions.
“Over the course of the past few years, there have only been a few sightings of this species in either the Hudson or the East River,” says Danielle Brown, who is the director of Research at Gotham Whale.
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“There are fish in the river now, but it is not clear at this point if the dolphins are feeding. The fact that it is not a frequent occurrence makes it even more important that any sightings are reported so that these dolphins can be monitored,” Brown continued.
Twenty-three years ago, the aquatic mammals were last observed in the East River body of water.
