July 8, 2023, 3:30 - The T049As and a brief visit with the T099s

T049A Nan ♀ (1986)
T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)
T049A4 Neptune ♂ (2014)
T049A5 Nebula ♀ (2017)
T049A6 (2022) Nicknamed Charlie II

T099 Bella ♀ (~1984)
T099B Holly ♀ (2007)
T099C Barakat ♂ (2009)
T099D Puck ♂ (2015)
T099E ♀ (2021)

After a successful morning, our crew headed back out, heading north to try and catch up with the T049As again. We were in luck! We caught up with the family just off Pipers Lagoon. These guys were all tuckered out from the activity in the morning, and appeared to be a bit snoozy when we caught up with them again. Orca, like all cetaceans, utilize a method of sleeping called uni-hemispheric slow wave sleep , which allows for one half of the brain to rest at a time. This is crucial, because Orca are deliberate breathers, meaning they have to regulate and manually control every breath they take. By only resting one half of the brain at a time, they can keep the other lobe active enough to take those breaths, ensuring they don’t drown. Babies have to be even more careful; because they are born with such limited blubber reserves, they don’t float as easily as their adult family members. In order to make sure the little ones can get some well deserved rest, mother Orcas use a method called echelon swimming. Calves travel beside their mothers in their slipstream, where the water resistance and drag on the baby is reduced. This means that the baby doesn’t have to use as much energy to get some sleep, but also means that the mother must keep travelling to allow the baby to get some rest. T049A6 Charlie II is the newest member of this family, born last year, so would have been sticking very close to mom T049A Nan to get some sleep for the first year of life.

We decided to let these guys get some well needed rest, and continued on our way in the strait, heading towards Gibsons. Just off the Sunshine Coast we spent some time with another well spotted family in our waters, the T099s. these guys were a little more active, and we even got a spyhop!

Photos taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Carmen Murphy.

T049A Nan (right), followed by her kids T049A5 Nebula, T049A4 Neptune and T049A3 Nat. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

T049A Nat (right), followed by T049A5 Nebula and T049A3 NatPhoto by Carmen Murphy.

T049A Nan (left), followed by her youngest child T049A6 Charlie II. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

T049A Nan and T049A6 Charlie II. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

T099D Puck (left) and T099 Bella. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099 Bella (left) and T099D Puck. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099B Holly (front) and T099E. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099C Barakat and family. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099D Puck (left), T099B Holly and T099 Bella (right). Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A Steller sea lion on the Halibut Bank buoy. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Adult Harbour seal with a young pup. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Taking the plunge! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A Turkey Vulture at the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A Pigeon Guillemot with a fish in its mouth. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

River otters wreaking havoc on our local docks. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Scratching that itch! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A haul out of Harbour Seals. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

A Steller sea lion enjoying the sunshine. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Double-Crested Cormorants nesting. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

A Double-Crested Cormorant. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Freddy and Pinecone our two resident eaglets. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Pinecone admires how big his wings are getting. Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Jilann LechnerJuly 8, 2023WhalesComment