This is the adorable moment a rare panda dolphin wowed tourists off the coast of Patagonia, Argentina, with a playful display near their boat.
Footage shows the adorable little dolphin, one of the smallest species in the world, growling in the water as it apparently shows interest in the vessel.
He rolls over in the water and starts swimming to port to apparently greet the tourists who hang over the side to catch a glimpse.
The video was filmed by Argentinian documentary filmmaker Luis Burgueño, 60, who lives in Trelew in northeastern Patagonia.
Burgueño, who is also a wildlife photographer, said the small animal was with a group of other panda dolphins at the time.
“This one was with other specimens around the boat and the encounter lasted longer than you see in the video,” he said.
‘It stayed with us for a long time.
‘But I never noticed him turn around and point his stomach area upwards, which is a gesture of complete trust as this is their most vulnerable area.’
A rare panda dolphin amazed tourists off the coast of Patagonia, Argentina, with a playful display near their boat
The video was filmed by Argentinian documentary filmmaker Luis Burgueño, 60, who lives in Trelew in northeastern Patagonia.
The commercial dolphin – also known as panda or skunk dolphin – resembles a baby killer whale because of its distinctive black and white coloring
Burgueño’s video went viral on his Instagram page with a whopping 21.2 million views and nearly 6,000 comments.
The Commerson’s dolphin – also known as panda or skunk dolphin – resembles a baby killer whale because of its distinctive black and white coloring.
It is only found around the tip of South America.
A subspecies, Cckerguelenensis, which is slightly larger than Cccommersonii, is found around the Kerguelen Islands in the Indian Ocean.
It comes after a sexually frustrated dolphin was filmed last month allegedly attacking a swimmer while swimming in the sea near the city of Tsuruga in central Japan.
Footage shows the cute little dolphin growling in the water as he apparently shows interest in the craft
Commerson’s dolphins are only found at the tip of South America
Footage shows the mammal swimming next to the man and apparently bumping into him as the terrified swimmer tries to get away.
Bystanders can be heard screaming in panic, with one person throwing a paddleboard at the man to get him to safety.
Dolphins are not generally thought to pose a threat to humans, who generally do not view them as prey.