Tag: orcas

Graphic footage shows sad reality of brutality by attacking orcas

In a rare event captured in video, a pod of killer whales—as many as 30 individuals—attacked two adult gray whales in Monterey Bay.

In a rare event captured in video, a pod of killer whales—as many as 30 individuals—attacked two adult gray whales as tourists watched aboard whale-watching boats in Monterey Bay off California.

It is unusual because killer whales typically go after the gray whale calves as mother and calf make their way in the annual migration from Baja to Alaska. Rarely do orcas attack adults.

Experts surmise that perhaps one of the adults was injured and more vulnerable to an attack, or the killer whales were starving and had no choice but try to attack.

Whatever the reason, it was a sight many whale lovers found hard to watch.

“I’m a nature lover, but sometimes nature is so harsh,” one commenter wrote on Facebook.

Evan Brodsky of Monterey Bay Whale Watch captured the incredible drone footage. His 22-minute video on YouTube shows what appears to be the initial rush of killer whales and the subsequent thrashing about. A shorter version was posted on Storyful (below).

“Our researchers and guests were able to watch this amazing event unfold for over 5 hours in Monterey Bay,” Monterey Bay Whale Watch stated Friday on Facebook, a day after the incident. “Multiple orca pods joined together to pursue these two full-grown adult Gray Whales. We were able to observe the unique hunting strategies of the pods and the rarely seen defensive strategies of the two grays.”

You can see the gray whale on the left getting most of the attention from the orcas, and eventually you see it shedding some blood, as shown in the video Brodsky shared with Storyful.

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Several times the gray whales can be seen turning upside down in an apparent move to protect their more vulnerable stomachs from the ramming orcas.

In the expanded video, the two gray whales eventually are separated, and the killer whales concentrate their energies on the weakest of the two. But Monterey Bay Whale Watch reported that “the badly wounded gray whales escaped to the shallow waters towards the beach and the Orcas backed down.”

“It’s so hard to watch. Circle of life and species survival,” one commenter on Facebook stated. “I’m still dumbfounded how those grays survived.”

Stunning footage shows ‘way of the orca’ while hunting dolphins

A Southern California photographer has captured extraordinary footage revealing how transient orcas stun their prey before participating in a group feast.

A Southern California photographer has captured graphic but extraordinary footage revealing how transient orcas stun prey before participating in a group feast.

In describing the accompanying video, Ryan Lawler of Pacific Offshore Expeditions wrote:

“Orcas rarely use their teeth to kill prey. Most of the time a combination of body-slamming, head-butting and slaps from the tail are used to inflict blunt force trauma. While this is no doubt a sad video in some respects, this is the way of the Orca. One dolphin fed the entire pod of five for at least one whole day.”

The orcas, or killer whales, were encountered Christmas Day near Anacapa Island off Ventura County.

The mammals were active and the top image, courtesy of Mark Girardeau, shows the pod’s matriarch leaping “Free Willy style” in pursuit of the dolphin. The matriarch, catalogued as CA140B and nicknamed Louise, was identified by Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project.

Transient orcas are occasional visitors to Southern California and their hunting forays often involve common dolphins.

Orcas play through at historic golf course in Canada; photos

On a recent afternoon at Victoria Golf Club in British Columbia, Canada, orcas surfaced close to shore, allowing golfers to marvel at the sight.

On a recent afternoon at Victoria Golf Club in British Columbia, Canada, orcas surfaced close to shore, interrupting play for golfers.

The accompanying images, captured by Elah Davidson, show orcas in the Salish Sea adjacent to the course, and one golfer immortalizing the moment with his camera.

Davidson, a naturalist for Western Prince Whale Watching, was part of an Aug. 28 expedition that encountered the orcas near Victoria Harbor on Vancouver Island.

The company boasted on Facebook: “When we arrived on scene we were greeted by a group of Bigg’s [transient] killer whales known as the T60s, circling the reefs apparently looking for harbor seals.

“They hunted for about an hour before moving on. After they caught their lunch we were lucky enough to see a spyhop and a few tail lobs before they carried on, passing by some lucky golfers who could see them from shore.”

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Davidson told FTW Outdoors that this region is home to Bigg’s transient orcas, which prey on marine mammals, and critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, which feed on salmon.

“I’ve never seen them in this exact spot before, but they can be found in these waters year-round,” Davidson said.

The Facebook post includes images showing various orca behaviors.

Victoria Golf Club, founded in 1893, is the oldest golf course in Canada that remains at its original location, according to the website.

It’s the second-oldest golf course in North America, so countless orcas undoubtedly have graced its shores, and an untold number of golf balls have been plunked into the sea.

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Watch: Panicked sea lion seeking safe haven nearly capsizes boat

In a desperate measure to escape a trio of hungry orcas, a sea lion attempted to join a couple in their small boat off Vancouver Island.

In a desperate measure to escape a trio of hungry orcas, a sea lion sought refuge on a small boat and nearly capsized the vessel while attempting to climb aboard.

The scary encounter occurred off the coast of Vancouver Island in Canada on Monday as a Prince of Whales whale-watching boat observed a group of transient killer whales, as reported by the Times Colonist and CTV News.

Mark Malleson, a guide with Prince of Whales, told the Times Colonist that other whale-watching boats were observing the orcas, along with a couple in a small boat, which stopped to let the whales pass.

“I noticed there was a sea lion beside them,” Malleson told the Times Colonist. “It was pretty worked up. At one point, I actually yelled over to them, ‘You’re going to want to get out of there.’ The sea lion was trying to take refuge on their boat.”

Malleson didn’t think the sea lion was being hunted by the orcas, but believed it “misinterpreted the situation” and “panicked.”

This led to the 600-pound-plus pinniped leaping out of the water in an attempt to board the small boat, as seen in video posted by CTV News.

“It did one jump and kind of landed on the side of boat and then it did a second one, which actually flipped the boat up on its side, and I thought they’d capsized for sure, but it righted itself,” Malleson told CTV News.

Malleson told the Times Colonist that the boat righted itself “miraculously.”

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“The sea lion ended up back in the water and now they’re half full of water trying to motor,” Malleson told CTV News.

“If that animal had landed in the boat, somebody could have gotten seriously hurt, just from the sheer size or from the teeth.”

Fortunately, the boaters, obviously shaken, survived the ordeal, and so did the sea lion.

Photo courtesy of Prince of Whales.

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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.

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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.”

©Eric Austin Yee

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).

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

Orcas have been cruising through Puget Sound during the past week, to the delight of residents and, it seems, to one resident’s dogs.

Orcas have been cruising through Puget Sound during the past week, to the delight of residents and, it seems, to one resident’s dogs.

The accompanying footage shows two dogs barking enthusiastically from the end of a dock as orcas swim past.

Orca Network, which reports on sightings throughout the Pacific Northwest, stated on Facebook: “Pups had to things to say…”

The nonprofit added: “Several matrilines of Bigg’s orcas (mammal-eating type) have been keeping a presence inland Puget Sound this past week. One group, the T65s & T77s have been inhabiting waters in southern reaches. On July 3rd a close pass in Pickering Passage .”

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The footage was captured by Chad Queirolo, who could not be reached for comment.

On July 1, the same orcas were documented swimming only yards from shore at the west end of Hale Pass in the south portion of Puget Sound.

Photos: New Zealand orcas hit the surf in pursuit of prey

A New Zealand photographer has captured images showing orcas surfing in shallow water in pursuit of eagle rays.

Last September, a New Zealand photographer captured striking images showing orcas surfing Mt. Maunganui. The critically endangered orcas are so revered that lifeguards halted vessel training to allow the mammals to pass safely through the area.

Erin Armstrong’s images were picked up by national media and last week a New Zealand Herald story was shared via Facebook.

Upon seeing the images I reached out to Armstrong and Ingrid Visser, founder of the Orca Research Trust, to ask if surfing is a common behavior for New Zealand’s orcas.

Photo: ©Erin Armstrong

Said Visser: “Surfing orcas in New Zealand is far from rare. I regularly get reports of this occurring and I’ve observed it many times myself. However, I’m typically in my boat – so I’m on the ‘outer side’ of the waves and can’t get images like these.”

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Armstrong had stated via Instagram that the orcas she photographed were hunting eagle rays. “Incredible just how close they come in to shore, all in the pursuit of the eagle ray buffet,” she wrote.

In an email, Armstrong added: “On this day there was a crew training from the local Omanu Surf Lifesaving Club in their inflatable rescue boat. The New Zealand orca population is one of the most physically scarred in the world due to interactions with boats.

“I knew the orca were traveling down the coastline so at the risk of missing my opportunity to get the photographs I raced up to the Surf Club to ask if they could get their crew off the water. Super grateful to them for acting fast and allowing and although there was a lot of running involved, I still managed to get the shots I wanted.”

Photo: ©Erin Armstrong

Visser provided a link that includes images of orcas preying on rays and sharks, and surfing near the shore. New Zealand orcas also prey on fish, birds, and octopus.

Visser said orcas sometimes play in the surf between hunting forays.

Photo: ©Erin Armstrong

Said Armstrong:  “It is pretty incredible that these guys do visit our waters reasonably frequently, but that does not mean that they are easy to see. They’re very stealthy so every interaction [I witness] makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world.”

–Images were used with the permission of Erin Armstrong and are protected by copyright laws

Surreal footage shows rare orca encounter off Cape Cod

Commercial fishermen off Cape Cod were accompanied by a solitary orca Sunday afternoon in what was described as an extraordinary encounter.

Commercial fishermen off Cape Cod were accompanied by a solitary orca Sunday afternoon in what was described as an extraordinary encounter.

The footage posted below, which begins with some salty language, shows the large male orca, or killer whale, surfacing behind the Finlander II as the fishermen dragged for scallops.

The footage was captured in overcast weather by a crewman.

Orcas, while they inhabit all of the world’s oceans, are rarely seen off Cape Cod.

Capt. Asher Molyneaux told Boston.com that he believes the killer whale is “Old Thom,” who generally travels alone and is spotted infrequently.

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The 30-foot mammal was documented off Cape Cod in 2016, according to Boston.com. Sightings of Old Thom also have occurred in the Bay of Fundy off Nova Scotia.

Molyneaux said it’s not unusual for sharks and large whales to appear alongside the boat, but added that Sunday’s sighting was extra special.

“They’ll all come around the boat, that’s not uncommon at all,” he said. “But I’ve never seen a killer whale, that’s for sure.”

Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family and can measure 30-plus feet and weigh 10-plus tons. They are top predators and prey sources vary depending on the region and the orcas’ ecotype.

Orcas slurp sea jellies in rare behavior caught on video

For the second time this year an orca family group has been documented playing with sea jellies in California’s Monterey Bay.

For the second time this year an orca family group has been documented playing with sea jellies in California’s Monterey Bay.

This rarely observed behavior – transient orcas, or killer whales, prey almost exclusively on marine mammals – involved the same four orcas.

On Tuesday, on a trip run by Capt. Slater Moore, the orcas were encountered outside of Moss Landing.

“We watched them eat a couple of sea lions. Then as they traveled out of the bay one of the younger ones [tossed] a jellyfish in her mouth,” Moore wrote on Instagram.

Moore also joked: “I guess sea nettles taste like Jolly Ranchers?!?!”

Kate Cummings, owner of Blue Ocean Whale Watch, was aboard Moore’s boat and described the family group as “grabbing sea nettle jellies as they went,” after the sea lion predation.

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Sea nettles are jellies (jellyfish) whose tentacles can span 10-plus feet. Stinging cells paralyze small prey items, which are carried by “mouthy-arms” to the jellies’ mouths, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Orca slurps sea nettle. Photo: ©Kate Cummings

Moore and Cummings told FTW Outdoors that the orcas seemed to be playing with and not preying upon the sea nettles.

“I don’t think they swallowed any of the jellies,” Moore said.

The four orcas are cataloged as the CA202s by the California Killer Whale Project. They include a mom and her three offspring.

The same rarely encountered group – the mother is nicknamed Smiley because of a distinct marking in her saddle – was documented playing with sea nettles on Feb. 6.

Orca carries sea nettle. Photo: ©Tory Kallman

Passengers and crew aboard a Monterey Bay Whale Watch vessel watched as two of the orca siblings carried what might have been the same sea nettle at different times in the bay.

Tory Kallman captured footage of the oldest sibling (a male) swimming behind a GoPro camera with the sea nettle dangling from his chin.

Capt. Nancy Black, owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch and co-founder of the California Killer Whale Project, told FTW Outdoors that the orcas seemed to be playing with the jelly “like a dog plays with a ball.”

Black also said that these particular orcas might simply enjoy the stinging sensation generated by tentacles touching their tongues.

Watch: Orcas dazzle boaters during ‘magical’ rare encounter

A whale-watching charter out of San Diego on Tuesday spent “five magical hours” with orcas that surfed, leaped, and even swam upside down within feet of passengers and crew.

A whale-watching charter out of San Diego on Tuesday spent “five magical hours” with orcas that surfed, leaped, and even swam upside down within feet of passengers and crew.

The extraordinary footage, captured by Gone Whale Watching San Diego, shows Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, or orcas, clearly interacting with those aboard the 27-foot Boston Whaler.

“All in all this was one of the best trips in our company’s history,” Domenic Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, wrote on Facebook.

Acting on a tip from a sportfishing captain, Biagini traveled 80 miles south of San Diego, into Mexican waters, in search of the ETP killer whales.

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He first located beaked whales, and footage of that rare encounter is forthcoming. Biagini and crew spotted the orcas on the way back up the coast, about 50 miles south of San Diego.

ETP orcas, which are spotted sporadically off Mexico and in the Sea of Cortez, are famously inquisitive around boats and have been known to surf in their wakes.

Biagini’s passengers were treated to this behavior but also observed the grace and beauty of the mammals as they slowly swam beneath and next to the boat, at times completely upside down.

Passengers also witnessed a predation event (the jumping portion of the video) involving a common dolphin that ultimately became an orca snack.

 

“The orcas toyed with this common dolphin for nearly 90 minutes before finally completing the kill and sharing in a meal,” Biagini explained on Facebook.  “It very well may have been a teaching moment for the youngsters in this pod. They’ll have to complete hunts themselves one day!”

The footage was captured by Biagini, Kyle Henderson, and Alyson Moors.

Biagini assured that his engines were not running during the orcas’ close approaches, and that the orcas were “play-chasing us,” and not the other way around, when the boat was in motion.