Orca of Punta Norte

by Suzie Hall

Orca Aware’s Suzie Hall, has spent the last year travelling the Americas. One of her highlights was seeing the orca of Punta Norte, within the Peninsula Valdés in Argentina. Here’s her account of the first time she witnessed their unique hunting behaviour!

Waiting at the viewpoint in Punta Norte, binoculars and camera at the ready, I could hardly believe I was about to see something I'd dreamed of for so long: The Punta Norte orca. Some five minutes before, the rangers received a radio notice that there was a group of five orca approaching from the north... 

I heard them first; the unmistakable ‘pfooo’ of an orca blow, which I’ve come to recognise so well. All heads turned to spot glistening droplets of water falling gently back to the water’s surface. The chatter and excitement of the hopeful crowd had ceased in anticipatory silence, and a collective breath was held as we patiently waited. The morning light and calm skies rendered the ocean a softly undulating mirror and we caught our first sight. Two, then three, four, five unmistakable black fins carved their way through the silvery pool, as if in slow-motion. Approaching high-tide, the ocean was only 20 metres from the viewpoint, almost level with the eye, and the orca were cruising adjacent to our perch.

Suzie (right) watching the orcas from shore © pnor.org

Their dorsals grew closer, with louder 'pfoooos' echoing in quick succession as, one after the other, they each took a breath. We could see large, round heads and white eye-patches preceding smooth backs and shimmering saddle patches mere metres away. 

No one uttered a word as we watched the group swim gracefully by. For a few moments, all we heard was the orca breathing, the waves lapping at the shore and the click-click of camera shutters. It was a remarkably peaceful scene.

The Punta Norte orca are arguably one of the most distinct of all orca populations, intentionally stranding themselves to catch their prey. Only in Argentina and the Crozet Islands have orca been seen to exhibit this behaviour, and only a handful of orca in each population actually hunt using this technique. This truly makes it one of the most fascinating natural spectacles to witness. 

The orca time their arrival at these beaches with the South American sea lion and elephant seal pupping seasons. They are waiting as the pups venture away from the safety of their colonies, splashing into the water for the first time and taking their first swims along the shore. 

This particular group cruised the entire 200 metre length of the viewpoint, very close to the shore. I watched an impressively large male (called “Jaluel”) swim beside two smaller fins as they made their way south towards the “attack channel”. A group of juvenile sea lions, swimming towards the viewpoint at the same time, were frolicking lazily in the pull of the waves. They were naively unaware of the unmistakable outline and silhouette of an orca approaching from only a few tens of metres away. There was no break of the water by a dorsal fin, no audible ‘pfoooo’; just a silent, deadly figure in a single wave for a heartbeat of a second… and then it was gone.

I watched, expecting the crash – the sound of orca and pup colliding in a bloody frenzy. I watched and I waited. I watched until the pups reached the spot where the orca had been, until they were directly in front of me, until they had swum right past in a northerly direction. Disappointed, I allowed myself to take a breath. It was over before it had even begun. Or so I thought.

From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the sharp, black edge of a dorsal fin slicing through the water, tailing the pups with increasing speed. They were closing in. As the pups sensed danger, they sped up, but it was already too late. The orca had accelerated, launching itself into the group, timing its attack perfectly with the breaking wave. There was a lot of splashing, frantic crying, and the entire body of an eight-tonne orca tore the water apart as it charged right out of the ocean and onto the sloping beach. I couldn’t tell whether it had a pup, I was too shocked and awed by the powerful display in front of me to take in all of the details.

A juvenile orca surfaced offshore followed by two more until they formed a tight-knit group again. They had the pup.

For what felt like an age, they splashed and clashed and chased their prey, taking it in turns to lurch out of the water, flip it with their mouths, slapping their tails; putting on an incredible show in their natural, wild environment. I can only imagine it didn’t play out too well for the sea lion pup, as the orca began to calm. Now satiated, they turned south to join their kin.

I remained on the peninsula just shy of a month, making my way to Punta Norte every day to see the orca. And almost every day they came. Although their feeding behaviour is well-studied and “predictable” during this season, no two days felt the same. My wonder at observing them never dwindled.

For part 2 of my Argentine adventure, I will be shining a further spotlight on this orca population and its individuals, as well as letting you know when to go and how to get there!

See No Orca, Love No Orca?

by Naomi Mitchell (guest blogger) 

I had never seen an orca in the flesh until last summer. In search of whales, wilderness and escape, I spent a blissful 4 months on the west coast of British Columbia, where I found all three. But my passion for killer whales started many years ago...

At age 7, I watched a well known and much-loved film about a captive killer whale who is given back his freedom. Captivated by their intelligence and thrilled by the excitement of the film, I instantly fell in love with these majestic black and white giants! Fast forward 10 years and I was to be found training to be a Marine Mammal Medic with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, hoping that it would give me some more insight into the mysterious lives of marine mammals. It is hard to put into words how, but despite having still never seen a live whale or dolphin in my life, they had managed to steal my heart and capture my imagination. At this point, I probably would have jumped at any chance to see these animals, be it in the wild or captivity.

Northern Resident orca from the A30 matriline (Photo © Naomi Mitchell)

Several years later, studying Animal Behaviour Science at university, I took every opportunity to bring marine mammals into my coursework even though my degree focused mainly on domestic animals. When I was finally offered the chance to swim with captive dolphins in Dubai for my birthday I already had an uneasy feeling - and a little further research quickly made me realise that this wasn't the most amazing birthday present ever. It was probably the worst. And having realised this in time, I didn't do it. But I did do more and more research into the subject and it soon became clear to me that all cetaceans - and especially killer whales - should not be kept in captivity. I will always remember finding the minimum tank size requirements for the first time and after a few calculations deciding that it is equivalent to a human living in a small touring caravan, unable to leave, for the rest of their life. When you realise that wild cetaceans can swim vast distances in relatively short time periods, it is blindingly obvious that this is inhumane.

A year after graduating from university, a number of significant changes in my life led me to pursue the dream that had been lurking in the back of my mind for some time. So I booked flights, packed my bag and headed to Quadra Island, a small island nestled between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island, Canada. Just a matter of hours after arriving I had my first encounter with killer whales. A group of three Southern Resident pods took a route coming down the inside of Vancouver Island and right past Quadra. If I had loved and wanted to see killer whales before I arrived in Canada, it was nothing compared to how I felt after I saw them for the first time. I might have already ticked off number 1 on my 'to do' list, but I was hooked and I absolutely couldn't wait to see the whales again. Next time I vowed not to forget to pick up my binoculars in the rush!

Southern residents, Quadra Island (Photo © Naomi Mitchell) 

I did have to wait a few more weeks for my next encounter, but these weeks were filled with wonderful experiences and sightings of black bears, seals, sea otters, Pacific white-sided dolphins and humpback whales! And so those weeks flew by until one evening, camped on a beach on Hansen Island, looking out over the Johnstone Strait, I watched the first of the Northern Residents who had returned to the area for the summer. Over the next couple of months I was lucky enough to have some close-up encounters with several pods of Northern Residents, watching them from campsites, from boats and even from a kayak and listening to their fascinating calls on a hydrophone. Although just as magnificent in their own way, they seemed somewhat more reserved that the Southern residents who I saw engaging in more lively behaviours such as breaching and tail slapping. I was also lucky enough to see the more elusive transient killer whales on one occasion. Each encounter was thrilling in it's own way, but my favourite was when a young Northern resident decided to change course and headed towards our boat to investigate, passing right underneath!

Northern Resident orca viewed from West Cracroft Island, British Columbia 
(Photo © Naomi Mitchell)

Part of the magic was meeting other people from across the world who held the same dream as me: to see wild killer whales. There is nothing like the thrill of hearing a blow in the distance, and sharing the excitement of those around you makes it even more special. I think that my own experiences, and those of the other people that I met go to show that you do not need to see these animals in the flesh to love them and want to protect them - we all already knew that they were special or we would not have made the journey to witness this for real. My experiences with orca have been amazing and I have been incredibly lucky to see them. Seeing them in the wild confirmed what I always suspected about these magnificent animals, but my love for them has always been there.

Transient orca (Photo © Naomi Mitchell)

Encountering Orca: The elusive Type Ds

by Jamie Watts (guest blogger)

02 November 2012 - On the way back from South Georgia towards the Beagle Channel, just coming onto the shelf near Isla de las Estados, a very nice surprise. Delphine announces 'orcas' before breakfast. Up onto the bridge, and there they were - a little way off, a group of three, then further ahead and further over another small group. All heading northwest, all travelling, but in no particular hurry. 

Straight away they looked different. Very pointed, slightly swept back dorsal fins, lots of black, moderately sized for orcas. Then the flash of white above the eye – tiny. I doubt myself at first but after a couple more breaths from the other orcas it’s very clear. Type Ds.  Jet black backs, gorgeously pointed and swept fins, the rounded, pilot whale-like snout and tiny eyepatch – doesn’t look like any other orca.

  

Photo © Andrew Bishop

We always knew there was only one species of orca, found worldwide. Even after a couple of decades of intensive study particularly of the Vancouver Island and Alaska orcas, the huge differences between populations were just thought to be clan variations. In the meantime, soviet researchers in the Antarctic – where the majority of the world’s orcas are found – described two grey-backed forms as new species. It was the cold war, Russian research was either ignored or unknown in the west, and the type specimens of the new species were lost in a museum flood.

But in the last few years, the rather different Antarctic types have become rather well-known.  Most are smaller than the ‘regular’ orcas, and grey and cream rather than black and white, with large or slanted eye-patches. Their coloration and their proportions are rather different.

Photo © Andrew Bishop

Then we started getting genetic work done on orca populations - and there are rather large differences between populations. Even the Vancouver Island orcas are probably two entirely different species. Turns out we have in the Antarctic at least four different forms: Type 'A' big 'normal' orcas (which may further prove to be several groups), type 'B' - grey and cream with huge eye patches (there are probably two very different sub-types here, one large and one small), type 'C' - small, grey and cream, and with a slanted eye patch. And then there is the enigmatic type 'D'. 

Photo © Andrew Bishop

The Ds were only described in 2010. We have no genetic material, almost nothing on their behaviour. Researchers looking through photographic records found pictures of some very odd-looking orcas. Seven records, all around the edges of the Antarctic. Unlike every other orca, their snout is rounded like a pseudorca or a pilot whale. The fins are gorgeously sleek, sharply pointed and swept-back. And the eyepatch – tiny, a fraction of the size seen in other orcas.  They are almost intermediate between orcas and their closest relatives. They’ve been photographed seven times. Until this morning.

After breakfast, twenty miles away, a larger male and a couple more – again type D. I’d love to stop and somehow try and get some sloughed skin – something.  But we’re running tight on time. Ushuaia beckons.

You can see more of Jamie's work at www.jamiewatts.co.uk. 

Photo © Andrew Bishop

There's Something About Orca

by Sam Lipman

Why orca and not tigers or dinosaurs or bottlenose dolphins or bears? A question that I am often asked and a question that, if I am perfectly honest, I find difficult to answer. I don't really know "why orca". For me, it has just always been that way, from as far back as I can remember, when I first laid eyes on one. 

I had always loved all animals as a child but growing up in a big concrete town, I never had the opportunity to see or learn about whales and dolphins. That is, until I saw Keiko, the orca who played Willy in the hit Hollywood movie "Free Willy". My four-year old heart melted. 

I remember being sat in that cinema chair in 1994 filled with absolute awe and, despite the fact I was only watching this magnificent creature through a television screen (albeit a very large TV screen), I felt a connection with him, with his entire species. There was just something special about this animal, something magical - something that even to this day I find incredibly difficult to put into words. And this wonder wasn't limited to Keiko as an individual - not at all. I still get shivers down my spine and feel that indescribable excitement building when I watch those first few moments of the "Free Willy" movie - the video footage of orca swimming through the open ocean, with the signature opening credit theme music playing over the top. 

This burning passion that gripped me as a toddler has stayed with me throughout my life so far and I now bare the proud label of "orcaholic", that many of you share with me.

So why orca? The conclusion that I have reached is that there's just something about orca. Which isn't very helpful at all, so I put the question to the girl who grew up with orca (and many other cetacean species) in her back garden, Melisa Pinnow. 

Once you've read why it's orca for Melisa, we would love to hear from YOU - why have orca stolen your attention, and possibly even your heart?  

by Melisa Pinnow (guest blogger)

25 year old Matia L77 does an inverted tail slap
(Photo © Melisa Pinnow)

I am asked this question all the time and I often wonder about it myself. I believe one reason I fell in love with orcas is due to their lifelong family bonds. Sons and daughters stay with their mothers their entire lives, making them relatable. It proves to me that these beings can feel emotions, experiencing happiness and excitement as a younger sibling is being born or sadness and mourning when a family member passes away or is captured for life in a tank. Their extremely high level of intelligence, problem solving abilities and hunting techniques also draws me in. 

I love how they all have unique saddle patches, eye patches and dorsal fin shapes that allow me to identify and get to know each individual I meet and their personalities are just as unique. Another reason is an adult male’s 6 foot tall dorsal fin. Watching something so tall rise up out of the water as a male surfaces is an amazing sight. I also love all of their surface behaviors they do from breaching, spy hopping, belly flopping and cartwheeling to above water vocalizations and playing with kelp. 

Unique saddle patches: 17 year-old Crewser L92 & 
56 year-old grandma Baba L26 (Photo © Melisa Pinnow)

Another reason is that they are just as curious of us as we are of them. On 8/31/12 a 5 month old female named L119 came straight over to our boat and playfully tail slapped and looked up at us from underwater. She paralleled us for a bit then abruptly turned and rolled around in delight as if we were the most exciting thing she had ever seen in her life. On separate occasions we have also had Cappuccino K21, Cousteau L113, Mystery L85, Samish J14, Wave Walker L88, Star J46, Mega L41, and Mike J26 come over to our boat and eye us. I also love orcas for the sounds they make. An orca’s quick exhale and inhale is my favorite sound in the world. During summer nights I open up my window and go to sleep to the sounds of the Southern Resident orcas breathing as they swim past my house.  I also love their vocalizations they make, especially the calls of resident orcas because each pod has a unique accent that makes it so you can identify a pod just by listening to them. Plus, who couldn’t love an orca’s sleek black and white patterned body! These are the reasons I am interested in orcas. 

Melisa is also author of Orca in my Garden.  

35 year old Nugget L55 breaches (Photo © Melisa Pinnow)