A beautiful day on the water began with a journey across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to find a pair of male Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales, T97 and T93. The T46’s were also nearby.
Bigg’s Killer Whales are marine mammal hunters. They travel in small groups and vocalize very little with each other. Their stealthy approach avoids alerting their prey.
Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whale, Photo by Marine Biologist Gord.Taken with zoom lens, and heavily cropped.
Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales hunt seals, sea lions and other small marine mammals. Bigg’s Killer Whales and their prey live in an acoustic world. The water is dark and murky because it is full of plankton. The plankton is the foundation of the food web that supports such biological diversity in the area. Harbour Seals, Sea Lions and Killer Whales all use their hearing in the dark cold depths to ‘see’ predators and prey.
On the way back to the Harbour the morning tour aboard Marauder IV stopped at Race Rocks ecological reserve. The reserve is home to many Harbour Seals, a Sea Otter, and a popular stop for sea lions. You could call it a Bigg’s Killer Whale buffet!
Book your Whale Watching Tour today to see some of these amazing animals in the wild.