# Orcas



## raycarr (May 25, 2008)

They have been roaming along the coasts of N.CA and S. OR.
While the news did not report it, I suspect that the Orcas were involved with decorating North beach with nasty chunks of leftover Elephant Seals. They were also spotted off the mouth of the Chetco River, circling a small pod of Grays, probably hunting babies.

http://www.times-standard.com/ci_9343511?source=most_viewed

Orca hits beach for seal meal
John Driscoll/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 05/22/2008 01:32:02 AM PDT



A dozen or more people in Trinidad Tuesday witnessed one of the world's rarest wildlife phenomena when an orca flushed a harbor seal onto Indian Beach in what may have been an attempt to teach its young to hunt. 

It may be the first occurrence of its kind in the United States, researchers said. 

Ruby Rollings from the Seascape Pier was alerted to the presence of the killer whales in Trinidad Bay just before lunch, and grabbed a pair of binoculars to watch. A large adult orca was swimming in the bay with a juvenile orca and two much smaller orcas, she said. 

After observing for a while, Rollings said she watched as the larger whale rode a wave onto the beach and seized a harbor seal in its teeth. 

”He bit it, 

then he slammed the seal against the sand,” Rollings said. 
Rollings said the whale left the seal on the beach, then headed back into the bay, and eventually out to sea. 

The behavior is rare among orcas. Washington-based Orca Network Director Howard Garrett was surprised to hear of the sighting and said the research community is very interested. 

”That's pretty amazing,” Garrett said. 

Several other experts the Times-Standard spoke with said they had not heard of a hunt like it in North America. Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the fact that it doesn't happen more often has been a topic of discussion among researchers. He didn't doubt the accuracy of the account. 
”It's hard to miss a killer whale when it's halfway out of the water,” Hanson said. 

John Ford, a whale scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said similar sightings have been reported in British Columbia, although he said it's a rare occurrence. No experts he knows have witnessed an event like it in the United States, he said. 

The technique is incredible to watch, but it has downfalls. With the enormous weight of the orca flopped onto the beach, it's possible for the animal to get stuck. Female orcas can weigh 7,000 pounds, and males up to 9,000 pounds. 

”It's a risky venture,” Garrett said. 

It's something few people will ever see in their lives. The only documented beach hunting by orcas is in Argentina's Patagonia and the Crozet Islands in the Indian Ocean, Garrett said. But the intelligent animals are innovative: Orcas have been seen tipping ice sheets to knock seals into the water in Antarctica, and in New Zealand killer whales are known to pluck stingrays off the sea floor and toy with them at the surface, he said. 

Humboldt State University Marine Laboratory technicians Alyssa Firkus and Susan Sebring were taking water samples at the Trinidad pier when they heard a man shout that there were orcas in the bay. They went to look, and were offered a ride on the water taxi. 

Firkus said they watched as the small group of orcas swam toward Indian Beach. The largest whale swam up on shore, half exposed, and thrashed around before backing into the water again, she said. 

”That's been my dream since I was 2 years old to see that,” Firkus said. 

The group then headed toward the boat launch, around the rock near the pier, under the pier and then out to sea, Firkus said. 

A pod, or group, of orcas was spotted offshore by the HSU research vessel Coral Sea not long ago, said lab aquarium caretaker Grant Eberle, and orcas have been seen off the mouth of the Klamath River. A group of about 20 were seen off Newport, Ore., within the past two weeks, as well. 

There are three types of orcas in the eastern North Pacific. One type eats just about any marine mammal it can get hold of, from seals to whales. Another focuses on fish, especially chinook salmon. Another group occurs generally 25 to 30 miles offshore, in the rich continental shelf area, where tuna and sharks are key parts of their diet. The types don't interbreed, even though they sometimes mix. 

Garrett said there's no guarantee that the beach hunting near Trinidad is the first ever in North America, but he believed it was the one of the first ever witnessed. 

It may not be the last. The innovative behavior may be passed to the younger animals the hunting orca was with, Garrett said, and could become more regular with time.


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## mudguts (May 31, 2008)

I have never seen Orcas, my Dad has seen them from the ferry boat in N Wa. He got some good pics of them. They are a neat animal.


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## raycarr (Jun 2, 2008)

They are very cool, I saw them through binocs yesterday, still harrasing the grays off the mouth of the Chetco. Some flatlanders wanted to know why the Orcas were not being stopped from hunting. "those Grays are endangered, someone needs to put an end to this" all the while wringing sweaty hands.
Good Lord!!. A magnificent display of nature and they wanted Government interference.
Offered them the use of a skiff and a 12ga, had no takers.

I watched them until my eyes stuck to the eyepiece, an amazing sight, shiney black and whites circling, making runs at the Grays, while the bigger Grays formed a wall around the calves. My guess is that the Orcas will lose interest, go back and start in on the Sea Lions again, more greasy azz remains on the beach. Few things smell as bad as rotting Sea Lions.


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## mudguts (Jun 3, 2008)

Hope those people don't watch the Discovery Channel. It showed a pod of killers harrasing a mother gray and her calf. The orcas finally killed the calf and only ate it's tongue. Must be whale sushi lengua to the orcas. We will be traveling to Lopez Is. I will keep my eyes peeled for the killers whilst enjoying my chowder and beer on the ferry boat ride. 
We went camping to San Simeon a couple of weeks ago and checked out the elephant seals. You can see the dead pups mashed into the sand by the bulls. It doesn't smell nice.


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