marine mammals – Syndication Server

Massive whale emerges yards from shore, thrilling beachgoers

A large sperm whale joined swimmers near the shore Saturday at Port Beach, Australia, generating concern that the mammal might strand itself.

*UPDATE: It was reported Tuesday (Dec. 12) that the sperm whale has perished after it became stranded on a Perth sandbar.

A large sperm whale joined swimmers near the shore Saturday at Port Beach, Australia, generating concern that the mammal might strand.

The accompanying footage was captured by Ori Weiser, who announced via social media that the whale ultimately “swam away happy.”

Wishful thinking, most likely, because healthy sperm whales generally remain offshore in deep water.

Typical diving forays in search of prey extend 2,000 feet beneath the surface, but sperm whales are capable of diving to depths of more than 10,000 feet.

The whale might have been sick, injured, or disoriented. But as of Saturday night it had not stranded.

9 News Perth reported early Sunday that swimmers were asked to exit the water during the 50-foot whale’s appearance.

Weiser’s footage shows the whale just yards from shore and one clip shows a jetski rider following closely behind.

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales on the planet and are found around the world.

According to NOAA Fisheries, the most significant threats to sperm whales are ships (vessel strikes), commercial fishing gear (entanglements), ocean noise (disorientation), oil spills and contaminants, and climate change.

Reward offered after video shows boater speeding over sea lions

A reward of up to $20,000 is being offered in the hope of identifying and prosecuting a boater who was caught on video speeding over sea lions earlier this month in the Columbia River.

A $20,000 reward is being offered as federal authorities seek to identify and prosecute a boater who was caught on video speeding over sea lions earlier this month in the Columbia River.

NOAA launched an investigation after the footage, captured April 3 by a Portland resident, began to circulate via social media. (The footage is posted below.)

It shows the boater plowing over groups of sea lions, in apparent violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, as the animals rested on the surface near Hayden Island.

Oregon Live reported Friday that NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is offering the reward for information that leads to a “civic penalty or criminal conviction.”

The Marine Mammal Protection Act, passed in 1972, prohibits the hunting or harassment of marine mammals. Harassment is any act that significantly alters the mammals’ behavior.

The number of California sea lions – the same animals that inhabit the Columbia River – has increased steadily since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Recent estimates place the West Coast population at about 280,000.

Fishermen often express frustration regarding sea lions, which possess a seemingly insatiable appetite for salmon and other fishes. But blatant acts of aggression toward sea lions rarely occur in open public settings.

According to Oregon Live, the vessel in question is an aluminum Hewescraft Pro-V Sea Runner with a dark blue stripe, measuring perhaps 20 feet.

Authorities are asking anyone who might recognize the boat or be able to identify the boater reach out to NOAA at 360-310-0259, or via its hotline at 800-853-1964.

Orcas line up perfectly for family portrait in ‘awesome moment’

A photographer has captured what might be considered the perfect orca family portrait in foggy weather in California’s Monterey Bay.

A photographer on Tuesday captured an extraordinary orca family portrait in foggy weather in California’s Monterey Bay.

“The awesome moment when all the orcas you encounter line up for a shot,” Eric Austin Yee wrote on Facebook.

The black-and-white image, captured during a Discovery Whale Watch expedition, shows the closely aligned dorsal fins of five transient orcas – a mom, her three kids, and another orca that travels with the family.

Yee, also a naturalist, said visibility was poor when he received a tip from colleagues about an orca sighting in the middle of the bay.

Yee told FTW Outdoors: “As we approached the area the pod of five orcas popped up near us. We were worried they would have been lost in the fog but they resurfaced near us multiple times and got active.”

Behaviors included breaching and spy-hopping, which is when a whale in a vertical position pokes its head out of the water for a look around.

“Even though visibility was poor, the water was glassy,” Yee continued. “I got a lucky moment when all five animals lined up and I snapped the shot.

Yee added: “I had a weird moment when going through my photos: ‘How would black-and-white animals look in black and white?’ Pretty good, I guess.”

Monterey Bay is a frequent hunting area for transient orcas, which prey on marine mammals. The family unit photographed by Yee is well known to scientists.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project, said the orcas, from nearest to farthest, are cataloged and nicknamed as follows: CA51A3 (Dipper), CA51A2 (Andi), CA51A4 (Eclipse), CA51A (the matriarch, Aurora), and CA50B (Jimmy).

Breaching whale’s ‘shock wave’ generates chaos for kayakers

On Sunday, KINY shared an image showing kayakers in Hoonah experiencing a “close encounter of the whale kind!”

Last week we shared footage showing five humpback whales breaching almost simultaneously near Hoonah, Alaska. It was a surreal and unexpected scene enjoyed by a family during a picnic.

On Sunday, KINY shared the accompanying image showing kayakers in Hoonah experiencing an extremely “close encounter of the whale kind!”

The Facebook description reads, in part: “According to Hoonah Fire Chief Paul Comolli, the shock wave from the whale’s breach rocked three kayaks and flipped one completely over!”

Comolli captured the image at Point Frederick.

The KINY post was widely shared and some were critical of the kayakers for approaching too closely and placing themselves and the whale in danger.

Humpback whales are known for their spectacular breaches and should always be given a wide berth.

Watch: Massive sea creature startles family on Mexican beach

A family enjoying a beach day in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur was frightened by a massive elephant seal that emerged on the shore and approached the group.

The accompanying footage, captured in the municipality of Mulege, shows the blubbery mammal approaching the family as a woman screams and a child tries to remain brave.

News CD Constitution BCS shared no other information, but it appears as though the elephant seal was merely looking for a suitable resting spot.

VIDEO: Dogs ‘have some things to say’ to orcas swimming past dock

Northern elephant seals are the largest “true” seals in the Northern Hemisphere and can weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. Their range includes the eastern and central North Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California.

Except during breeding season from December through March, they spend most of their time feeding at sea. Elephant seals can dive 2,500 feet in search of prey. They feed primarily on squid and fish, including sharks and rays.

Watch: Jet-ski rider speeds over whale, almost hits boat

A photographer has captured drone footage showing a seemingly out-of-control jet-ski rider speeding directly over a gray whale and nearly slamming into a whale-watching boat.

A photographer has captured drone footage showing a jet-ski rider speeding directly over a gray whale and nearly slamming into a crowded whale-watching boat.

The accompanying footage was captured Sunday inside the L.A. Harbor breakwater by Daniel Genuth. It has no sound and is best viewed in full screen.

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The footage was subsequently shared by Eric Martin, head aquarist at the Roundhouse Aquarium in Manhattan Beach, who wrote on Facebook:

“As [Genuth] was filming the animals feeding, he got a very horrible surprise. The jet-ski operator not only almost hit the whale, but almost hit the [vessel] Christopher. Then a sailboat went right over the whale, while the whale was feeding. I have no clue what people are thinking anymore when it comes to logic and our environment.”

Various gray whales have been feeding sporadically on the sandy bottom inside the harbor since mid-February, Martin told FTW Outdoors. At least two feeding there Sunday.

The footage begins with a whale surfacing with sand flowing from both sides of its mouth. Gray whales forage on sandy bottoms for crustaceans and other small critters. The sandy patches in the footage were created by feeding whales.

The Christopher, from Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach, is visible at the top of the screen. The jet ski blasts into the picture at 35 seconds, passing over a whale. The driver then speeds toward and veers within feet of the Christoper before continuing the joy ride.

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It’s unclear what happened next, or if the incident was reported to authorities. Harbor Breeze Cruises did not respond to inquiries by FTW Outdoors and did not mention the close call in its Sunday Facebook report.

It’s worth noting that the jet-ski driver might not have been aware of whales feeding inside the harbor, and might not have seen the mammals. But the driver obviously saw the 65-foot boat and high-speed passes such as this are dangerous, if not illegal.

Martin said the incident occurred beyond the low-speed, no-wake zone, but added: “I don’t think he was out of the stupid zone.”

Gray whales are currently migrating from nursing and mating regions of Baja California to summer feeding grounds in Arctic waters.

Watch: False killer whales share ‘sashimi’ during rare encounter

Whale watchers on an all-day private charter Sunday out of Newport Beach enjoyed a rare sighting of false killer whales as they feasted on tuna.

Whale watchers on an all-day charter Sunday out of Newport Beach enjoyed a rare sighting of false killer whales as the mammals feasted on tuna.

The accompanying footage, captured by Ryan Lawler of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, shows several false killer whales passing a freshly caught bluefin tuna among themselves in a prey-sharing behavior.

“A family of false killer whales shares a meal of sashimi,” reads part of the Facebook description.

The encounter occurred 60 miles offshore, near San Clemente Island, after nearly three hours spent on what seemed a deserted ocean.

“Then we saw shapes and birds on the horizon,” Lawler told FTW Outdoors. “When we first saw them they were spread out, and we were not expecting this.”

A bonanza for crew and four passengers: perhaps 75 false killer whales foraging in a bluefin tuna school, with black-footed albatrosses competing for scraps.

The false killer whales were spread out in subgroups of six to 12 animals, such as the subgroup featured in Lawler’s footage.

False killer whales, which are dark gray and do not bear a strong resemblance to killer whales, are found in tropical and subtropical waters and rarely encountered off California.

However, sightings have increased in recent years, perhaps because of unusually warm ocean temperatures during summer months.

Like many dolphin species, false killer whales are highly social and develop strong bonds within their subgroups.

Prey sharing is common and fish and squid are chief prey items. Though catching tuna might seem a difficult task, false killer whales are powerful swimmers and are known to capture prey as deep as 1,600 feet.

“We also had a small pod of offshore bottlenose dolphins in the area mixing with the false killer whales, and it was really cool,” Lawler remarked. “We were with them for at least three hours and everyone onboard had never seen this species before.

“It was my probably my 10th time seeing this species since 2016. But it was my first time seeing them eat tuna.”

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How many ‘hitchhikers’ can you spot on this giant blue whale?

A San Diego-based videographer has captured the moment a giant blue whale surfaced with remoras on its head.

A San Diego-based photographer has captured the moment a blue whale surfaces and blasts a massive mist plume skyward.

But what stands out in the drone footage captured by Domenic Biagini recently at San Clemente Island are the many remoras visible on the whale’s head, or rostrum.

Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, asked his Instagram followers:

“How many Remoras can you count on this Blue Whale’s rostrum? Those little sucker fish are bigger than you realize, and they are found on almost every single Blue Whale we see out here!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Domenic Biagini (@dolphindronedom)

“The Blue Whales pick up the remoras in warmer waters down south off of Baja and Central America, and these little hitchhikers provide a kind of ‘skin cleaning’ service for the largest animal on earth! Nature is pretty amazing.”

Blue whales, which can measure 100 feet and weigh more than 150 tons, are the largest creatures on the planet. They feed on tiny shrimp-like krill and can be found off Southern California during late spring and summer.

Whale watchers don’t often see remoras because their viewing perspectives are limited compared to views afforded by drones flown directly over the whales.

Remoras attach themselves to their larger hosts, including sharks, and feed on scraps of food, plankton, and parasitic copepods.

They do not seem to adversely affect their hosts.

As for Biagini’s quiz, most of those who have inspected his footage or the accompanying images discovered that the correct answer is 12. Most will also agree that nature is, indeed, amazing.

Humpback whale’s ‘unthinkably’ high breach captured in photos

A photographer in Maui has captured a photo sequence showing a humpback whale launching its entire body out of the water.

The image atop this post, showing a humpback whale calf breaching clear of the surface, was featured this week by a whale-themed Facebook page with no details about location or time. For The Win Outdoors reached out to the photographer, Burak Ayday, and was told the image is part of a sequence captured off Maui on March 1, 2020, as COVID-19 dominated the news cycle and days before a global pandemic was declared.

The images are wonderful in part because large whales rarely launch their massive bodies entirely out of the water – it’s a feat mostly reserved for smaller calves. Ayday allowed the use of his photos and provided the following recollection of his unforgettable encounter:

“It is a day that I won’t soon forget. The media was full of talk of the coronavirus and the unsure times ahead. Living in Hawaii, there is a sort of disconnect from the news and things that are happening worldwide. All I knew is that whales were in abundance in Maui and that I needed to get out and capture as much as I could before the season had ended or lockdowns were put in place.

“A friend of mine, Sean, texted me at about 7 a.m. and asked if I wanted to hit the water. Shortly after 8 we were heading out in search of whales. During our mission we encountered lots of friendly whales, and picture-perfect water conditions.

“We came upon this calf at about noon. The little calf put on quite the show, displaying pec-slaps, lunges, and breaches for well over 30 minutes… right before he took it upon itself to perform one of the most legendary breaches I have ever seen with my own eyes.

“The boat went absolutely silent… there were no words to be had for what just happened. This whale cleared an unthinkable distance above the surface, and we were lucky enough to have witnessed it. Gratitude and disbelief quickly entered my mind.

“How, Why, How, and How? This whale had already used up so much energy. How did it find it within itself to propel himself out of the water like a rocket to the moon? I truly don’t know, but what I do know is that not 15 seconds later a full-grown bull of a humpback barreled himself out of the water as high as possible, as if not to be outdone by a wee young calf.

“I think about this day often. This calf serves as a source of inspiration. The courage, the strength, and execution of the breach we witnessed, will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life.”