Out of the two eco-types of Killer Whales that we see regularly in the Salish Sea, mammal-feeding Bigg’s Killer Whales are the lucky ones. Unlike the Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales, which feed primarily on declining runs of Chinook Salmon, Bigg’s Killer Whales have an ample food supply, hunting Harbor Seals, porpoise, and Sea lions. Mammal-feeding Bigg’s Killer whales are thriving in the Salish Sea. With about 300 individuals that can be seen in the area, we are encountering more and more family groups on a regular basis. In fact, we have seen mammal-feeding Killer Whales almost every day since the beginning of March. It’s been fascinating to see a boom of Bigg’s Killer Whale calves being born and surviving. This highlights how critical the issue of food is in survival rates.
Today was an incredible reminder of what is possible when the top ocean predator has ample food.
The T123’s are a group of 4 individuals. Mom and her 4 kiddos, the most recent, T123D, is under a year old. Today we saw the family hunt, and the wee little one got to expend some built up energy and practice belly flops. It was absolutely amazing! We lost track of just how many belly flops and breaches T123D did today.
15 апр 2019
