Pages:
1
2 |
Peloncito
Junior Nomad
Posts: 66
Registered: 1-9-2007
Location: Los Gatos, CA - Los Barriles, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
Why I love Baja...
People in San Diego are paying top dollar to see these beautiful aimals. (photos courtesy of my friend Kene E.)
Mike



[Edited on 8-1-2007 by Peloncito]
|
|
Wiles
Nomad

Posts: 337
Registered: 10-1-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
WOW! - WOW! - WOW!- and -WOW!
|
|
shari
Select Nomad
     
Posts: 13050
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
|
|
Gee, where are those orcas? I wonder what family they are? I was involved in photo ID of orcas on Vancouver Island and we knew every whale by name or
# and who their families were. Because there is no side view of the dorsal fin, I can't tell if they are residents or transients...probably transients
though by the looks of em...plus there isn't much salmon to eat in baja! I wonder what pod this is?
|
|
BMG
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 1776
Registered: 6-10-2007
Location: La Paz / Bahia Asunci�n / Away from home
Member Is Offline
|
|
They are incredible animals!
And fast too!! Just saw them up in the Broughton Islands off Vancouver Island in BC a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks for sharing your great photos.
I think the world is run by C- students.
|
|
BajaGeoff
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 1727
Registered: 1-11-2006
Location: San Diego and Campo Lopez
Member Is Offline
Mood: Heading To Baja!!!
|
|
Wow! Great photos Peloncito!
|
|
shari
Select Nomad
     
Posts: 13050
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
|
|
Ah yes, these are residents, you can tell by the shape of the dorsal fin...transients have a straighter tailing edge to the fin. Looks like they are
chowin down on salmon all right. Too far to tell which family it is though.
|
|
Wiles
Nomad

Posts: 337
Registered: 10-1-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
Residents or Transients..........
Shari, isn't the key the tip of the dorsal, not the trailing edge? Also, I thought it was primarily noted on females and not so much in males as
pictured in original post.
The post with pics of lots of females definitely illustrates the characteristic of a rounded tipped dorsal representing resident critters. Bet you
miss them too.......
How often do you see Orcas cruising the kelp out front of your place?
|
|
capn.sharky
Senior Nomad
 
Posts: 686
Registered: 9-4-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
I think these are the Orcas that the Mexicans tell me are more aggressive than the others. These have the larger sails on them and have been known to
attack boats. But....I may be wrong. I believe they call them Buffeos Maliscos (or something to that effect). Can anyone tell me if that is
correct.
If there is no fishing in heaven, I am not going
|
|
Peloncito
Junior Nomad
Posts: 66
Registered: 1-9-2007
Location: Los Gatos, CA - Los Barriles, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
My friend shot these photos just off of Punta Pescadero (Los Barriles) while out in his 14' panga. I am not an expert on whales/dolphns either but
isn't there a big difference between male and female dorsal fins. I always thought the straighter, higher up dorsals were male orcas.
Anyway, he was not too nervous around them and apparently neither were they. He said they just took a look, dove underneath and moved on. Probably
searching for the rest of the pod and a blue whale or something to snack on. Oh and by the way, this one was not too far off (note the smaller dorsal)
Mike

[Edited on 8-2-2007 by Peloncito]
|
|
mtgoat666
Platinum Nomad
      
Posts: 20021
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
|
|
peloncito,
your photo is a porpoise, not an orca. don't remember species name, but whatever it's called, it's often confused with orca due to coloring.
|
|
Peloncito
Junior Nomad
Posts: 66
Registered: 1-9-2007
Location: Los Gatos, CA - Los Barriles, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
MT,
All orcas are in the porpoise family aren't they? It was swimming just away from the pther pics I posted above and it also had the white markings
around the eyes. This was very different from the Pilot Whales (False Killer Whales) I normally see. If this is a porpoise, it comes from a family
that has identical markings as those found with Orcas and it was swimming dangerously close to the other big boyz!
|
|
bajajudy
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
I knew that this sounded familiar
Unfortunately the photos are not in this post
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=18748#pid1641...
|
|
Osprey
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
|
|
While fighting a fish with the motor off (for about 40 minutes) I watched two Orcas circle my boat. They were close enough I could see the whole
animal, colors, size, patterns. Right with them were two false killer whales just a short distance away. There were striking differences between the
animals and when I got back to the house I looked up in my fish books and on google what I had seen. The dorsal fin is highly arched on the false
killer whale -- he grows to 18 ft, is not preyed upon by Orcas like his cousins the other smaller dolphins. I'm sure some of the photos are false
killer whales. I think about half the sightings by people around this part of the SOC are false killer whales, not humpbacks.
|
|
Dave
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
|
|
Natural born killers
Saw a program about an Orca pod killing of a gray whale calf. Happened off the Baja coast. Not pretty but the ways of the world, I guess.
|
|
BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 2307
Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Anxious to get south
|
|
Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
Saw a program about an Orca pod killing of a gray whale calf. Happened off the Baja coast. Not pretty but the ways of the world, I guess.
|
Saw the same program, they attack the whale and only eat the lower jaw and tongue.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
|
|
Debra
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
Member Is Offline
|
|
mtgoat666, I think you are thinking of a Dahl. they have the same coloring as orcas but much smaller...
First. Orcas are not whales at all, they are a member of the dophin family, and they are hunters, just as dolphins are, and just like dolphins, they
are playful and curious with humans, but, (little know fact) orcas do not kill, rape and kidnap others as dolphins do.........they do 'play' with
their food (not nice) but, it's how the young hone their hunting skills.
Here where I live, Orcas are abundant, they often 'adopt' a Wash. State Ferry.......a family's home on the water, or anyone that will talk to them,
thing is, when that happens, we have to be 'mean' to get them back to their families where they belong, as much as we would love to have them as the
'pets' they are willing to be. Mama is best!
Mean people suck!
|
|
Wiles
Nomad

Posts: 337
Registered: 10-1-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
Marine Mammal Basics
OK, here are the basics when it comes to whales, dolphins and porpoise.
They all belong to the Mammalian Order Cetaceans.
There are two Sub-Order of Cetaceans:
1) Sub-Order Mysticeti, commonly referred to as baleen whales in that they have baleen plates in their mouths instead of teeth, two blowholes,
and throat groves.
There are 4 Families (or sub groups) of Mysticetis, of which 2 families frequent the waters off the Baja peninsula.
They are:
Family Balaenoptera , the blue (largest), the finback, sei’, bryde’s , minkie and humpback whales.
Family Eschrichtiidae, the gray whale
2) Sub-Order Odontoceti, commonly referred to as toothed whales, dolphins and porpoise in that they have teeth (duh) and one blowhole.
There are 6 Families of Odontocetis of which at least 3 families frequent the waters off the Baja peninsula.
They are:
Family Physeteridae, the sperm whale which is the largest of all toothed whales.
Family Delphinidae, Dolphins. This family includes Orca/Killer Whales (yes they are dolphins), false killer whales, pygmy killers, pilot whale,
risso’s dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, pacific white sided dolphin among others.
Family Phocoenidae, Porpoise. Of the 6 species of porpoise only 2 can be seen off Baja. The vaquito porpoise (Phoecoena sinus) also know as the
gulf porpoise which is endemic to the upper Cortez and almost extinct and the Dall’s porpoise which can be found primarily in the cooler waters (60
degrees F or cooler) on the Pacific side.
By the way, the Dall’s are small 6-7ft and very fast (30 knots) with triangular dorsal and no beak. They leave an impressive rooster tail in their
wake.
Ok, class is over. Now go put something on the boat and enjoy a little whaling while your at it.
|
|
Wiles
Nomad

Posts: 337
Registered: 10-1-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
Peloncito
Your picture is of a false killer whale.
|
|
Wiles
Nomad

Posts: 337
Registered: 10-1-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
Peloncito
Pilot whales and false killer whales are related but different animals.
|
|
Wiles
Nomad

Posts: 337
Registered: 10-1-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
Orcas are not porpoise they are the largest dolphin in the dolphin family Delphinidae
|
|
Pages:
1
2 |