A boat carrying tourists and experts spotted three killer whales feeding in Monterey Bay while on a whale-watching tour in California recently.
When the Monterey Bay Whale Watch boat approached the creatures, the experts aboard realized they had found something even more surprising: They had discovered Trio marine killer whalesincluding two adults and a calf, the California Killer Whale Project said in a Facebook post Aug. 3.
“They seem to be feeding on some kind of prey over the valley. They’re staying in one place, doing 5-minute dives,” the post said of the July 16 sighting. “After about 15 minutes, they climbed a quarter of a mile to the southwest, in a fast-traveling position with a shorter plunge, zigzagging along the canyon rim.”
The boat reported seeing a group of dolphins swimming in the opposite direction of the whales, and a nearby fisherman said two blue whales were swimming, according to the post.
Marine whales are An elusive species of killer whale It is found in the North Pacific Ocean, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservancy. These animals are rarely encountered and are usually seen in large groups of over 50. They feed on sharks and fish.
There are only about 300 individuals in the species. Monterey Bay whale watching the experts said July 17 on Instagram.
“You really never know what the Gulf has in store for you,” the post said. “These elusive and rarely encountered cetaceans are usually found very far offshore which makes the data we collected during this sighting so important to science!”
It was an encounter she won’t soon forget, said Morgan Quimby, a photographer with the California Killer Whale Project and Monterey Bay Whale Watch.
The trio’s encounter experience is still being processed North Pacific marine killer whales Yesterday,” she wrote on Instagram July 17. “These shark hunters are so elusive and so rare to encounter, that makes yesterday one for the books.”
Social media users shared their excitement about watching.
“Great! What a treat,” one person said Comment on Instagram.
“This season just keeps giving! How amazing and exciting you all are,” she said. someone else wrote.
“Amazing”, A.J A third person commented.
Marine killer whales: an elusive creature
Marine killer whales feed primarily on sharks, but they also eat larger fish, such as halibut, according to the Monterey Bay Whale Watch. Because sharks have such tough skin, whales often have worn down teeth, and sometimes even gums.
Experts said they didn’t catch a glimpse of any of the trio’s teeth, so they used other features to identify them, like the uniquely shaped dorsal fins.
“The dorsal fins are more rounded at the top than typical Bigg killer whales, and the dorsal fins are often jagged and ragged on the trailing edge due to their primary prey being sharks,” Monterey Bay Whale Watch said in their post. “They also usually have closed saddle spots but they can have black intrusions called ‘toes’ like one of the individuals we encountered.”
According to the publication, beige whales – another type of killer whale – are commonly seen in the bay.
Angler thinks he’s spotted a sea turtle — then caught a glimpse of the creature ‘once in a lifetime’
The boatman gets an “unusual” surprise from the “elusive” deep-sea creatures. look at the pictures
Pictures show boaters ‘in awe’ as huge creature puts on ‘majestic show’ in Ireland
