August 7th - T18's near Sidney
On August 7th we travelled all the way to Sidney to find a pod of Transient Killer Whales. The pod we found were identified as the T018’s. The T018’s consist of Esperanza (T018), her daughter Nootka (T019), and her grandsons Galiano (T019B) and Spouter (T019C). Esperanza was first sighted in 1955, making her at least 65 years old! Orcas have an average lifespan of 50-80 years. Nootka was first sighted in 1965 making her at least 65 years old while Nootka’s sons Galiano and Spouter are 25 and 19 years old.
The T018’s travel in a pod of 4. Transient Killer Whales tend to travel in pods of 3-7 individuals to minimize detection by prey for more efficient hunting. Transient Killer Whales pods tend to travel as a matriarchal society, where the female leads followed by her offspring.
The T018’s were exhibiting a foraging behaviour in Sidney, where they were travelling in a circular motion. These killer whales are the top of the food chain in the Salish Sea, where they primarily feed on Harbour seals but also tend to feed on Harbour porpoises, Dal’s porpoises, Stellar sea lions and sometimes even Humpback calfs.
We travelled a long way to see these killer whales but it was definitely worth it. Check out some of the pictures that our naturalists took that day below!
Mother and son. Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Galiano (T019B) with his mom Nootka (T019). Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Esperanza (left), Nootka (middle) and Spouter (right). Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Photo by Natalie Reichenbacher.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Brother portrait. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.