Yesterday, Monday, April 10th, a dolphin was spotted swimming in the East River on Manhattan’s Upper East Side near 96th Street, reports abc 7 news.
The news outlet reports that this dolphin was seen swimming solo, so we’re not entirely sure whether or not it was part of the dolphin pod TikTok user @_frenchiev also spotted swimming in the East River in a video they posted to TikTok 3 days ago.
Either way, this isn’t the first time dolphins have been spotted in NYC waters.
A dolphin duo was seen swimming in the Bronx River back in January, and NYC kayakers were greeted by an adorable group of playful dolphins in August of last year.
We even gathered together 11 videos of some of the times dolphins have been spotted in NYC!
According to the NYC parks department, spotting a dolphin in NYC waters is a good sign as “it shows that the decades-long effort to restore the river as a healthy habitat is working.”
Plus, a study performed in June of last year found that the NY harbor is a “dining hotspot” for Bottlenose dolphins during the summer and autumn months, so that’s to say we shouldn’t count on this dolphin spotting being the last!
The NY DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) states that: “Bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, pilot whales, and Risso’s dolphins can often be seen off the south shore of Long Island. Sightings of bottlenose dolphins are the most common since they live closer to shore in coastal waters like harbors and bays. The majority of dolphin sightings occur in the warm summer months when the water is productive.”
And not only dolphins have been spotted in NYC’s waters–whales and sharks have also been spotted before!
So, next time you’re taking a walk by the water be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a dolphin!