Today in the Strait of Georgia, we found our Humpbacks between the Sechelt and Lantzville areas! The two we spotted are common whales in our waters, Mammoth/Ocean and Windy! Mammoth/Ocean (BCX1710), is a confirmed female first sighted in 2016, while Windy (BCY0893), a male was first spotted in 2011. Our humpback populations travel across the Salish Sea throughout the summer before undergoing a 3000-mile migration back to Mexico and Hawaii. In the tropics, they will mate and calf before migrating back to our coast. To find our more info about these two Humpbacks, check out their profiles on HappyWhale by clicking the hyperlink on their IDs!

Humpbacks need to bulk up before their long migration back, and can employ a number of different feeding strategies to do so. One such method is called bubble net feeding. In this feeding strategy, humpbacks will blow bubbles in circular nets surrounding schools of fish, forcing them closer to the surface until they can come up underneath and swallow them! On each side of a humpback's mouth is 400 baleen plates, similar to large bristle brushes specially designed to filter through the water and separate the prey. These gentle giants can grow up to 16 metres in length and can weigh over 36 metric tons. Fun Fact! Although the mouths of these animals can be up to 10 feet in diameter, their throats are remarkably small; when fully stretched to accommodate prey, the throat is only able to expand about 15 inches, or about the size of a basketball. So even if you were accidentally engulfed by a humpback, like this lobster diver was in 2021, you are in no danger of being swallowed. Phew!

Like most days, after we spent some time with our whales (Windy in the morning, Mammoth in the afternoon), we continued on our way to find some more wildlife. We had a great day for pinnipeds, and saw some Harbour Seals and Steller Sea Lions!

Harbour Seals are some of the most common marine mammals on BC’s coast, and some of the most delectable for the Transient Orca population. Harbour seals can weigh around 285 pounds and can be about 6 feet in length. They have adapted to slow their heart rate during dives, which uses less oxygen in their blood because of the reduced rate. This specialized adaptation allows them to hold their breath for up to 30 minutes and can dive to depths of 1,600 feet!

Another native pinniped seen today was the Steller Sea Lions! These guys exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning the male and female are extremely different morphologically. The male Steller can weigh up to 2,500 pounds and has a bulbous head and a larger body. Comparatively, the females are smaller, weighing in at about 800 pounds! This species demonstrates a polygamous mating system where the male will attack and compete with other males for females to mate with. These attacks can be brutal, and male Stellar sea lions can maul and bite other males to appear more dominant during the breeding season. It’s very special that these guys are still in our area, as they usually migrate to their breeding grounds, called rookeries, off northern Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii around this time. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy them while they’re still here!

Photos today were taken by Marine Naturalists Des Poier, Aly Kohlman, and Carmen Murphy and can be viewed below!